The Archive Behind the Hall
The Shimoina Education Association Storehouse (下伊那教育会土蔵, Shimoina Kyōikukai Dozō) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse built in 1938 behind the Shimoina Education Hall in Nakanomachi, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 October 2014.
It stands against the north side of the hall, facing south. In plan it measures 3 ken by 2 and a half ken, a building area of 30 square metres, and a lean-to Geya roof shelters its front. The national database describes the roof as tiled, and Iida City's handbook adds that it is gabled.
Because it dates from the same year as the hall, the Shimoina storehouse is best understood as half of a pair: the Western-style hall the association built as its headquarters, and the traditional storehouse that went up behind it.
Why It Was Registered
The storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs adds that it originally held educational records from the last years of the Edo period onward, which makes it significant for the history of schooling in the Shimoina region.
The pairing is worth noticing. The hall in front was where teachers met; the storehouse behind it was where the records of local education were kept. Two buildings of the same year divided the association's work between a public front and a back room.
What to Look At
Namako walls carried up high
The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, and Namako-kabe tiling runs right up to just below the Hachimaki band under the eaves, wrapping even the posts of the front lean-to. Namako walls are faced with flat tiles whose joints are filled with raised ridges of plaster, a finish that resists rain and fire. Carried this high, it gives the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse what the national description calls a tall-waisted look.
The lean-to at the front
On the south front a small lean-to roof projects over the entrance, its posts sheathed in the same tiling. It keeps rain off the doorway, which would have made it easier to open the heavy doors and move records in and out in bad weather.
A modest size
At 3 ken by 2 and a half ken, it is close in size to the Former Kurosu Family Storehouse across the street, which covers 36 square metres. The Kurosu storehouse, though, keeps its namako tiling below waist height, so the two storehouses look quite different.
Visiting
Because the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse stands behind the hall, it is hard to see from the street to the south. As of October 2026 there was no notice of public access to the interior.
The hall grounds are used by the association's office, so please do not walk into the back of the site to look at the storehouse.
Q&A
- When was the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse built?
- In 1938, the same year as the Shimoina Education Hall. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 October 2014.
- What was kept in the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it originally held educational records dating from the end of the Edo period onward, and it is considered important for the history of education in the Shimoina region.
- How big is the Shimoina storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen storehouse measuring 3 ken by 2 and a half ken, with a building area of 30 square metres.
- What does the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse look like?
- Its plastered walls are faced with namako tiling up to just below the band under the eaves, including the posts of the front lean-to, which gives it a tall-waisted appearance.
- Can I see the Shimoina Education Association Storehouse?
- There was no notice of public access to the interior as of October 2026. It stands behind the hall and is hard to see from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimoina Education Association Storehouse (下伊那教育会土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 303-1 Nakanomachi, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/10/7 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 30 square metres (3 ken by 2 and a half ken) |
| Owner | Shimoina Education Association (public interest incorporated association) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (behind the hall, hard to see from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shimoina Education Association Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010142
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shimoina Education Association Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/243595
- Iida City Board of Education: Education Handbook FY2024, Cultural Properties Section, PDF (Japanese)
- https://www.city.iida.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/70930.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.08
