The smallest store in the precinct
Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse is an Edo period earthen-walled store in Hase, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2008.
It stands east of the Priests' Quarters and north of the Temple Office. The plan measures 4.5 metres by 3.0 metres, entered from the gable end, under a gabled pantiled roof set independently over the walls. Single-storeyed, with a floor area of just 13 square metres, it is the second smallest of the listed buildings here after the Bell Tower.
The sources disagree on its date. The national database assigns it to the closing decades of the Edo period, 1830 to 1867. Sado City instead argues from its position at the east side entrance of the Priests' Quarters that it was built in the second half of the eighteenth century to support that building. The gap between the two is fifty to a hundred years and remains unresolved.
A room set aside for fermenting
Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape, as one of the buildings enclosing the forecourt around the Priests' Quarters, that is, as part of the working side of the compound.
Miso takes a long time to mature, and during that time it needs somewhere with a steady temperature. Thick earthen walls and an independent roof supply exactly that. The paste was prepared on the earth floor of the residence kitchen and left to mature here, a sequence that the short distance between the two buildings makes legible.
Inside, the walls are boarded and the floor is left as bare earth. Unlike the rice and treasure stores there is no upper floor, because heavy vats never had to be carried upstairs. Function fixed both the size and the number of storeys.
Openings that show the purpose
Windows are set in the north and east faces of Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse. Placing them where the sun does not reach lets air move through without raising the temperature inside. The west front has a sliding door with a hood above it.
The walls stop at an intermediate coat rather than being finished in white lime, with boarding around the base. Set beside the white plaster of the Treasure Storehouse, the omission of that final coat tells you where this building stood in the order of things.
Four and a half metres by three is about the area of eight tatami mats. Standing in the forecourt, the contrast with the 19-metre length of the Temple Office next to it is striking.
Seeing Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse
The exterior of Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse can be seen at any time from the forecourt east of the Priests' Quarters. It is a small building fronting west, so standing well back in the forecourt gives the better view of the whole.
The interior is not opened. To see how the gable roof and the independent outer roof overlap, come round from the north and look at the flank.
Directions and reception hours are on the Chokokuji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Niigata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse
- [ Sado Island & Echigo-Yuzawa Ski Resort Tours ]
Q&A
- How old is Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse?
- Sources differ. The national database gives 1830 to 1867, while Sado City argues for the second half of the eighteenth century.
- How large is Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse?
- 4.5 metres by 3.0 metres, a floor area of 13 square metres, single-storeyed. Only the Bell Tower is smaller among the listed buildings here.
- What is the interior of Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse like?
- Boarded walls and a bare earth floor, with no upper storey.
- Where are the windows of Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse?
- In the north and east faces, away from the sun, so that air can move without warming the interior.
- Can I visit Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse?
- The exterior is visible at any time from the forecourt east of the Priests' Quarters. The interior is not opened.
Basic Information
| Name | Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Hase Toyo, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2008 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 4.5 metres by 3.0 metres, floor area 13 square metres |
| Owner | Chokokuji Temple, a religious corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior only; the interior is not open |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Chokokuji Temple Miso Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006818
- Sado City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, Chokokuji Temple
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4964.html
- Chokokuji Temple: Visitor Information
- https://sado-choukokuji.jp/guidance/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
