Okahashi Family Residence Main Storehouse

About the Okahashi Family Residence Main Storehouse

The Okahashi Family Residence Main Storehouse (岡橋家住宅本蔵, Okahashi-ke Jūtaku Honkura) is a storehouse of 1917 standing at the centre of the north side of the Okahashi estate in Ozukucho, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 August 2020 (No. 29-0308).

It is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri building, thick-walled and plastered against fire, with a heavy Hongawarabuki tiled roof and a building area of 98 square metres. It faces south, and a lean-to (Geya) shelters the doorway on that side.

Seven storehouses were registered at the Okahashi estate, and the name honkura marks this as the principal one. It went up in 1917, the same year as the main house, and can reasonably be read as its partner in the family's rebuilding of the estate.

Why the main storehouse was registered

The Okahashi Family Residence Main Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes its exterior as imposing.

It occupies the middle of the north edge, the far end of the estate as seen from the house. The other storehouses are arranged around it: the north rice storehouse to the east, the pottery storehouse to the southwest and the new northwest storehouse in the corner. The main storehouse is the anchor of that row.

By footprint it is not the largest; the single-storey north rice storehouse covers 115 square metres. Its standing comes from its two storeys and from a front that was clearly designed to be looked at.

What to look for on the main storehouse

The number of windows is the first surprise. Storehouses usually keep openings to a minimum against fire and theft, but the Okahashi Main Storehouse has many windows on its south and east walls, each with a small hood carried on brackets (Mochiokuri). The hoods line up across the white walls and dot them with shadow.

Two water-shedding ledges (Mizukiri) run around the walls, one at mid-height and one near the base. They throw rain clear of the plaster below, and on a wall this tall they also divide the elevation into horizontal bands.

Inside, the floors are boarded and the walls lined with horizontal planks. The roof combines a traditional Wagoya frame with sloping beams (Nobori-bari), which probably gained headroom on the upper floor. It is a different answer from the Truss roofs used in the inner storehouse and the north rice storehouse, both from the same Taisho era.

Visiting the main storehouse

The Okahashi Family Residence Main Storehouse stands at the centre of the north side and faces south, so its windowed front looks into the estate. It cannot be seen from the lanes outside, and the interior is not open.

The estate is private, and no public openings were announced as of September 2026. Directions to the estate are on the Okahashi Family Residence page.