Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse

About the Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse

The Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse (松山家住宅米蔵, Matsuyama-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri earth-walled rice storehouse of the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) in Nishinoshinyacho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on November 17, 2015.

It stands at the very back of the estate of the Matsuyama family, rice wholesalers until the years before the Second World War, with its ridge running north to south and its front facing east. Nara City places it at the far west end of the plot. With a building area of 71 m², it is the larger of the two storehouses at the Matsuyama Family Residence, well ahead of the barley storehouse at 45 m².

A Large Store and a Missing Upper Floor

The rice storehouse measures 7.9 m by 5.9 m. It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in Sangawara-buki pantiles, and across the front runs a Geya lean-to roof which the Agency for Cultural Affairs specifically describes as deep, in contrast to the plainer lean-to of the barley storehouse.

The outer walls are finished in Shikkui plaster with a Hachimaki band under the eaves, and the base of the front is finished in mortar. Inside, the walls were left at the intermediate coat of plaster and fitted with nisurigi, horizontal battens that stop heavy loads from gouging the earth walls; the barley storehouse has the same fittings.

The most curious detail of the Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse is its lost upper floor. The Agency notes that the second floor appears to have been removed soon after the building went up. From outside it reads as a single-storey store, yet it was evidently planned to be used on two levels. Why the floor came out is not recorded.

Why the Rice Storehouse Was Registered

The Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as a storehouse that conveys the Matsuyama business at its height, and Nara City points to its large size as the reason. Standing at the far end of the plot, this big store still gives a measure of the family's trade in rice.

Later Uses and Visiting the Rice Storehouse

Nara City records that the Matsuyama Family Residence Rice Storehouse became a gallery of the Nara Orient-kan, the private museum in the main house north wing, in 1988, and has been used as a restaurant since 2000. What business occupies it today, and when it opens, could not be confirmed from official sources (checked October 2026).

There are no heritage opening days, and because it stands at the back of the plot it cannot be seen from the street. Before visiting, it is worth asking at the tearoom in the north wing. There is no official guidance on photography. Directions to the estate are on the Matsuyama Family Residence page.