Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse

About the Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse

The Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse (松浦家住宅道具蔵, Matsuura-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is a 2-storey earth-walled storehouse from around 1910 in Kudo, Oji-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on September 10, 2010. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records no later alterations.

It continues from the west end of the annex, running north to south, and occupies the northwest corner at the very back of the Matsuura Family Residence. The National Council for the Utilization of Modern Heritage calls it the former tool storehouse, but the registered name is simply the tool storehouse.

A Small Storehouse with a Careful Roof

It measures 4.9 m by 3.9 m, with a building area of 19 m², the smallest of the six structures. The roof, though, was not done cheaply. It is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable covered in Hongawarabuki, the heavier roofing of alternating round and flat tiles, and of the six structures it is the only one the Agency describes this way. The other tiled buildings have simpler pantiles.

The roof is an Okiyane, a separate roof frame set on top of the sealed, earth-walled body of the storehouse. On the Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse even the rafters and purlins of that frame are coated in clay, so no bare timber is left exposed in the roof structure. The fire protection of the earthen walls is carried all the way up into the roof.

Walls and Interior

The lower walls are faced with tall vertical boarding, with white Shikkui plaster above. The high boarding matches the north wall of the neighboring annex, so seen side by side, the two buildings share the same wall finish.

Inside, each of the two floors is a single room, and the walls are left at the intermediate coat of plaster rather than given a final finish. It was a working store for household equipment, and the interior was kept plain.

Why the Tool Storehouse Was Registered

The Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency notes that, together with the annex, it gives the back of the estate a solid, weighty presence. The former rice storehouse and the gate nagaya hold the east front; at the rear, the annex and this storehouse close off the northwest, and the tool storehouse takes the far corner.

Seeing the Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse

The Matsuura Family Residence Tool Storehouse is part of a private home and is not open (checked October 2026). It stands at the back of the plot, and how much of it can be seen from outside could not be confirmed. Even during Oji Town's special openings, access to the inside of the storehouse itself is unconfirmed. There is no official guidance on photography. Directions and contact details are on the Matsuura Family Residence page.