A Grain Store Turned Workshop
The Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse (巣山家住宅西土蔵) is a two-storey earthen storehouse of 1899 in Kiso-Hirasawa, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was moved to its present site in the early Showa era.
The Agency records a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse roofed in sheet iron, with a building area of 33 square metres; registration number 20-0091.
The Kami-no-kura
The household called the Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse the Kami-no-kura, and it was built to hold grain (Agency for Cultural Affairs). An ink inscription on its ridge beam dates its raising to 1899, but it was moved here in the early Showa era; by its inscription it is the oldest of the three Suyama buildings.
It is a two-storey building with a gabled roof, standing beside the East Storehouse across a passage under one continuous sheet-iron roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes that it is now used as a workshop.
Why It Was Registered
It was registered as a model of design. The Agency notes that, like the East Storehouse, its lower walls are faced in namako-kabe tiling, but that its upper lime-plaster walls were left without a finishing coat.
Built as a granary, moved, and later put to use as a workshop, it shows how one household in a lacquer-making town kept its buildings in service.
What to Look For
Look at the tiled lower walls and the upper plaster left without its final coat (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Because the white-finished East Storehouse sits under the same roof, the two can be compared side by side.
Visiting
The Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse stands behind the main house and is described as a working space (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on interior access was found, and how much of it can be seen from the street was not confirmed. Please do not enter the property.
Q&A
- When was the Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse built?
- Its ridge-beam inscription is dated 1899; it was moved to its present site in the early Showa era.
- What was the Suyama West Storehouse used for?
- Known as the Kami-no-kura, it was a grain store and is now described as a workshop.
- How does the Suyama West Storehouse differ from the East?
- Its upper plaster walls were left without the white finishing coat of the East Storehouse.
- Can I visit the Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse?
- No official information on interior access was found.
- When was the Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse registered?
- On December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse (巣山家住宅西土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1561-1 Nishimachi, Kiso-Hirasawa, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/12/04 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen storehouse, sheet-iron roof, 33 m² |
| Owner | Sakai Sangyo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Suyama Family Residence West Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002037
- Suyama Family Residence East Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002036
Last verified: 2026.10.19
