Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse

What Is the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse?

The Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse (ぜいたく豆本舗本店東蔵, Higashigura) is a two-storey earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri storehouse from the first half of the Meiji era, standing at the back of the Zeitaku Mame Honpo lot in Tsunofuricho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture; it was registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 1, 2003.

It occupies the eastern corner at the rear of the lot, sharing its eaves with the West Storehouse next door. The entrance is on the gable end, an arrangement known as Tsumairi, and the roof is tiled over a building area of 19 square metres. Of the four buildings on the lot, the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse is the only one the Agency for Cultural Affairs dates to "the first half of Meiji" rather than "early Meiji".

Why the East Storehouse Was Registered

The Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse holds registration number 29-0071 and was listed as a model of good design. The Agency's notes treat it as one of the buildings that frame the courtyard behind the main house, and as a good surviving example of the outbuildings that went with a Nara townhouse.

A street-front shop tells only half the story of a machiya plot. With the courtyard and its storehouses still in place behind the counter, the whole layout of the property can be read, and the East Storehouse covers that rear half.

The Rafterless Roof of the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse

The unusual thing about the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse is how its roof is put together. Normally Taruki, or rafters, run from ridge to eaves and carry the boards that form the base for the tiles. Here there are no rafters at all: single wide boards rest directly on the wall plates, purlins and ridge beam, and the tiles are laid on top of them.

It is a pared-down way of building, and the Agency's description of the West Storehouse notes that its roof base is made the same way. The two storehouses, built eave to eave, also match in how their roofs were framed.

The walls change from face to face. Most of the exterior is finished in white Shikkui lime plaster, but the rear wall is boarded over its full height, so the courtyard sees white plaster while the back of the building shows timber.

Visiting the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse

Because the Zeitaku Mame Honpo Main Store East Storehouse stands behind the main house at the rear of the lot, its front cannot be seen from Sanjo-dori. We found no notice of the interior or the courtyard being open to visitors.

The main house in front now operates as a convenience store, but we could not confirm if customers can pass through to the courtyard or the storehouses. Please do not enter the back of the property without permission.

The lot is on Sanjo-dori, about 4 minutes on foot from Kintetsu-Nara Station.