What the Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse Is
The Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse (田中本家博物館東土蔵) is an early Meiji-period single-storey building at the southeast corner of the Tanaka merchant estate in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, probably built as a stable, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 September 2003.
It is about 12 metres long with a building area of 40 square metres, under a gabled roof on a north-south ridge laid in pantiles, with an open lean-to Geya eave on the west side. The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists its structure as timber single-storey, which does not quite match the "storehouse" in its name.
The south row of storehouses ends here, and the east earthen wall runs north from this point.
Why the East Storehouse Was Registered
The Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency points to how its walls are treated with fire and continuity in mind: the west face, toward the estate, is left as rough clay, while the east face, toward the outside, is plastered in lime plaster right up under the eaves.
Sealing only the outer side up to the eaves guards against fire from outside, and also lines the building up with the white outer face of the east wall. Even this small building keeps up the idea of a single unbroken white boundary.
What to Look For: The Open West Face
The west face has wide openings filled with many board doors. The Agency sees in them the character of a former stable; it looks more like a busy barn than a storehouse.
The west eave was probably where horses were tied and feed and tackle kept. Compare the clay west face with the plastered east face and the same small building shows two quite different faces, inward and outward.
Visiting the East Storehouse
The west face of the Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse lies inside the estate and is seen after entering. Walk east along the south row and it stands at the far end.
The interior is not normally open; ask at reception. Opening days and admission are on the Tanaka Honke Museum page.
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Q&A
- What was the Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse used for?
- The wide openings with many board doors on its west side suggest it was originally a stable.
- How are the walls of the Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse finished?
- Rough clay on the west, facing the estate; lime plaster up to the eaves on the east, facing out, for fire protection and continuity with the wall.
- How big is the East Storehouse?
- About 12 metres long, single-storey, with a building area of 40 square metres.
- Where is the Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse?
- At the southeast corner of the estate, at the east end of the south row.
- When was the East Storehouse registered?
- It dates from the early Meiji period and was registered on 19 September 2003.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 476 Oyama and other lots, Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/9/19 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 40 square metres |
| Owner | Tanaka Honke Museum (public interest incorporated foundation) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from inside the estate on museum opening days; ask at reception about the interior |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tanaka Honke Museum East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003562
- Suzaka City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.suzaka.nagano.jp/soshiki/4010/2/1/557.html
- Tanaka Honke Museum: About (Japanese)
- https://tanakahonke.org/about/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
