A White Storehouse on the Street
The Nakai Family Residence Storehouse (中井家住宅土蔵) is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1916 in Minaminakamachi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 32 square metres; registration number 29-0124.
The Storehouse South of the House
The Nakai Family Residence Storehouse stands south of the main house, a 2-storey earthen-walled building 4 and a half ken by 2 ken with its ridge running east to west (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its gabled roof is of interlocking pan tiles, and a tiled canopy on the north side shelters the loading area in front of the door.
The walls are white lime plaster. The lower walls at both gable ends are clad in vertical boards, while the north side has namako-kabe, square tiles set in raised white plaster joints (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The ground floor is divided in two, and the west half held rice.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse for its part in the historic streetscape alongside the main house. Built in 1916 beside a house of 1792, it gave the household a plastered store with its own rice room.
What to Look For
Look for the contrast between the plain white walls and the namako tilework along the north base (Agency for Cultural Affairs), a finish that protects the foot of the wall from rain and fire, different again from the boarded gable ends.
The tiled canopy on the north side makes a sheltered working space in front of the door. Seen with the black and white front of the main house, it completes the face the compound turns to the street.
Visiting
The Agency treats the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse as part of the historic streetscape, so its exterior can likely be seen from the road. No official information on interior visits was found; enjoy the walls and roof from outside.
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Q&A
- When was the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In 1916 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse?
- In Minaminakamachi, Gose City, just south of the main house.
- What should I look for at the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse?
- The white plaster walls and the namako tilework along the north base.
- What was the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse used for?
- Storage; the west half of the ground floor was a rice store (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Nakai Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nakai Family Residence Storehouse (中井家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1234 Minaminakamachi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/02 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 32 m², 4 and a half ken by 2 ken |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on interior visits (exterior visible from the road) |
References
- Nakai Family Residence Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006478
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Nara Prefecture (Nara Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.nara.jp/secure/324726/itiran.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.16
