What the Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse Is
The Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse (田中本家博物館味噌蔵) is an early Meiji-period single-storey clay-walled storehouse on the north edge of the Tanaka merchant estate in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 September 2003.
It stands east of the Archive Storehouse, about 10 metres long with a building area of 34 square metres, under a gabled roof on an east-west ridge laid in pantiles. A passage separates it from the New Storehouse to the east.
The name suggests it held the household's miso. A large estate with family and servants needed a whole storehouse just for provisions.
Why the Miso Storehouse Was Registered
The Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it an indispensable part of a large estate.
The north row varies in size: the tall Archive Storehouse, the two-storey New Storehouse, the long Waterwheel Storehouse. The Miso Storehouse is the smallest of them, and its low roof between larger neighbours gives the row its changing skyline.
What to Look For: Two Faces
The north face is white lime plaster over weatherboard skirting; the south face is left as rough clay. Finish the side that faces outward, show bare earth on the side that faces in: the rule that runs through the north row is easy to read on this small building.
At the east end, the gap between it and the New Storehouse is a passage, with a small wicket door on the north side. Turning the gaps between storehouses into passages with little doors let people move in and out while the perimeter stayed closed.
Visiting the Miso Storehouse
The south face of the Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse is seen from the lane of storehouse doors north of the inner wall. Next to the Archive Storehouse, the difference between three storeys and one is striking.
The interior is not normally open; ask at reception about access. Opening days and admission are on the Tanaka Honke Museum page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagano
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse
- [ Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Hiking Tours ]
Q&A
- Where is the Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse?
- On the north edge of the estate, east of the Archive Storehouse, with a passage between it and the New Storehouse.
- How big is the Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse?
- A single-storey storehouse about 10 metres long with a building area of 34 square metres.
- How are the walls of the Miso Storehouse finished?
- White plaster with weatherboard skirting on the north, rough clay on the south.
- Where is the wicket door of the Miso Storehouse?
- On the north side of the passage at its east end, between it and the New Storehouse.
- When was the Tanaka Honke Museum Miso Storehouse registered?
- It dates from the early Meiji period and was registered on 19 September 2003.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanaka Honke Museum Miso 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 34 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 Miso Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003555
- 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
