Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse

About the Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse

The Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse (松本家住宅辰巳蔵, Matsumoto-ke Jūtaku Tatsumigura) is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse of the Meiji period (1868 to 1912) south-east of the main house of the Matsumoto estate in Kodera, Koryo Town, Nara Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017.

The Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse measures 9.7 by 5.9 metres, with a building area of 74 m². The main roof is laid with traditional round-and-flat tiles, the eaves with pantiles. Tatsumi is the old name for the south-east, taken from the zodiac signs of the dragon and snake, and describes where the storehouse stands in relation to the main house.

The Oldest Building on the Estate

The Tatsumi storehouse is the only one of the 13 registered buildings that dates from the Meiji period. Everything else, the main house included, is placed in the early Showa period, so this storehouse was standing before the present layout of the estate took shape.

When the main house and the utensil storehouse were built, it seems the family kept this storehouse and worked it into the new plan at the south-east corner. It was renovated in 1988.

A Long Wall on the South Side

The Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse stands on the southern boundary of the plot, its 9.7-metre flank forming the edge of the estate. From its east end the southeast barn runs north, continuing the line along the east side.

The walls are boarded along the lower part and plastered in white Shikkui above. Two kinds of tile are on show: the heavy traditional tiles of the main roof and the lighter pantiles of the eaves.

The windows are small, two on the south side towards the west and one in the east gable, each with its own little hood. Keeping openings small is standard practice for a storehouse guarding its contents against fire and theft. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a storehouse that shapes the view of the estate, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Seeing the Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse

The Matsumoto Family Residence Tatsumi Storehouse belongs to a private home and its interior is not open.

On the south side of the estate, it is hard to see from the road to the north. If there is a lane along the south side, its boarded and plastered south wall with small hooded windows may be visible, but the surroundings have not been checked on site. Please keep off private land and fields. Directions are on the Matsumoto Family Residence (Koryo Town) page.