The Storehouse Across the Street
The Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse (藤岡家住宅米蔵, Fujioka-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a plastered storehouse built in 1892 in Konnaicho, Gojo City, Nara Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006. Alone among the ten registered structures, it stands on a separate lot across the road to the east, facing the Main House.
It is a single-storey dozo storehouse with a gabled roof running north to south, a lean-to canopy on the west side facing the Main House, and pantile roofing. Its building area of 78 square metres is exactly that of the Inner Storehouse of 1797.
The walls are plastered in lime plaster right up over the rafters, and the two sides and back are clad in vertical boards. Inside is a single large room under a batten-and-board ceiling (saobuchi), with no partitions.
A Portrait of a Wealthy Farming Household
The Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a building that shows how an upper-tier farming household in this area arranged its property.
Where the Inner Storehouse is attached to the house to guard valuables, the rice store held harvested grain in bulk. Large rural households often built separate stores for separate uses, and the Fujioka kept a third, the Renjigura, as well. Stores of different kinds placed both within and beyond the main plot are themselves a measure of a family that ran a village.
The Rice Storehouse faces the Main House across the road and turns its canopy toward it. Though detached from the rest of the compound, it was aligned with it, as if both sides of the street belonged to one household.
Plaster and Boards
The first thing you notice is the plaster carried right up over the rafters at the eaves. Leaving no timber exposed kept sparks from lodging under the roof, the basic fire logic of the plastered storehouse.
Walk round the corner and the walls change to vertical boarding, which protects the plaster from rain. The contrast between the white front and the timber sides is easy to miss if you only look from across the street.
Visiting the Rice Storehouse
The Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse stands on the east side of the road opposite the Main House, and its exterior can be seen from the street. Whether the interior is open depends on current displays and events, so ask the managers ahead if you want to go in.
The road carries local traffic; keep to the edge when looking or taking pictures.
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Q&A
- Where is the Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- Across the road to the east of the Main House, facing it. It is the only one of the ten registered structures not linked to the others by a covered passage.
- When was the Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1892. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
- Can I go inside the Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- The exterior is visible from the street. Interior access depends on displays and events, so check with NPO Uchinono Yakata before your visit.
- Why was the Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered?
- For its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees it as evidence of how an upper-tier farming household in the area laid out its property.
- What is distinctive about the walls of the Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- The front is plastered right up over the rafters, while the sides and back are covered in vertical boards. Walk to the corner to see the change.
Basic Information
| Name | Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse (藤岡家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 526 Konnaicho, Gojo City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 29-0103; criterion: contribution to the historic landscape |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey plastered storehouse, gabled roof, pantile roofing, building area 78 square metres |
| Owner | Private (Fujioka family); managed by NPO Uchinono Yakata |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street; interior access depends on displays and events |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Fujioka Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005344
- Gojo City — Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Gojo
- https://www.city.gojo.lg.jp/soshiki/kankoshinko/5_1/5/2110.html
- Nara Prefecture official tourism site (Aoniyoshi Naratabi Net) — Fujioka Family Residence
- https://yamatoji.nara-kankou.or.jp/03history/02old_house/04south_area/fujiokake/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
