What Is the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
The Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse (旧冨田家住宅道具蔵, Kyū Tomita-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse built in the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) on the south side of the Tomita timber merchants' plot in Ōaza Sakurai, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 24, 2021. It has a tiled roof and a building area of 19 square meters.
Its registration number, 29-0323, is the last of the six buildings from the house. It qualified for contributing to the historic landscape of the country and was renovated in 2018. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the Tool Storehouse with shaping the southern edge of the grounds.
A Low Storehouse on a Stone Base
The Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse is a low earthen storehouse with a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Hongawarabuki round-and-flat tiles. Its walls are plastered in Shikkui up to the Hachimaki band under the eaves, and the lower walls are faced with fairly large stones. White plaster over stone gives the squat building a firm, tidy look.
The Tomae, the storehouse's door front, is on the north side under a small roof. Windows with their own hoods open to the south and east, and a toilet is attached at the southeast corner. The door faces into the property, while the sides toward the outside carry only windows.
From Tool Store to Bathhouse
The interior of the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse was originally a single room but has been converted into a bathroom and related spaces, a change the Agency's database records.
The inn Kura no Yado Ōrintei tells guests that the rooms have no baths and that they use the bath in the storehouse instead. It describes a storehouse reached along a stone-paved lane, its walls lined entirely in Yoshino hinoki cypress, with a bathtub of Japanese umbrella pine and a floor of Towada stone. The Tool Storehouse, which the Agency notes was converted into a bathroom, appears to be this storehouse bath. A store for household tools has become a bathhouse wrapped in Yoshino cypress, a fitting turn for a timber merchant's house.
Visiting the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse
The Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse appears to serve as the inn's bath, so only overnight guests can go inside, and no arrangement for drop-in visits was found.
Standing on the south side of the plot, the Tool Storehouse is near the outer edge of the property, but how much of it can be seen from the public road has not been confirmed. If you stay, look at the plastered walls, the stone base and the hooded door front on the north side before going in to bathe.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse
- [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse built?
- It dates from the early Showa period (1926 to 1945), was renovated in 2018 and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 24, 2021.
- What does the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse look like?
- It is a low earthen storehouse plastered up to the band under the eaves, with a stone-faced base and a gabled roof of round-and-flat tiles.
- Where is the entrance of the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- The door front, under a small roof, is on the north side. Hooded windows open to the south and east, and a toilet is attached at the southeast corner.
- How is the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse used today?
- Its interior has been converted into a bathroom, and it appears to be the storehouse bath used by guests of Kura no Yado Ōrintei.
- Can I visit the Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- It appears to be the inn's bath, so only overnight guests can enter. No information about drop-in visits was found.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Tomita Family Residence Tool Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 262-2 Sakurai, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered June 24, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 19 sq m |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Appears to be the bath of the inn Kura no Yado Ourintei; interior for overnight guests |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 旧冨田家住宅道具蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013869
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧冨田家住宅道具蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/519917
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: List of properties recommended for registration, March 19, 2021 (PDF)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/92882201_03.pdf
- Kura no Yado Ourintei: storehouse baths
- https://sakurai-sakuramachi.com/ourintei/plan/bath/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
