The Oldest Dated Building on the Estate
The Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse (平田大六家住宅土蔵, dozō) is a clay-walled storehouse built in 1835 in Omi, Sekikawa Village, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 1999. Of the six registered buildings on the Hirata family's brewing estate, it is the oldest whose date is known.
It stands between the main house and the sake brewery: a small two-storey Dozo-zukuri block, tile-roofed, with sheet metal on the lean-to eaves, covering just 29 square metres. It measures 3.5 by 2.5 Ken, and its registration number is 15-0038.
A Tool Store for a Brewer
The Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse began life as a store for equipment. Nothing published says exactly what it held, but brewing depended on vats, casks and other gear brought out season by season, and all of it needed a fireproof home. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the storehouse an indispensable part of a large brewer's estate.
The date comes from its Munafuda, the ridge tag left by the builders. 1835 is ten years earlier than the eastern section of the brewery, built in 1845, which makes this storehouse the firmest evidence of what the estate looked like in the late Edo period.
What to Look For
The roof is an okiyane, a separate roof frame set on top of the clay body rather than built into it. The gap between the two lets air circulate, and in a fire the outer roof was said to be sacrificed while the body survived. Here the okiyane is pitched gently, a clear contrast with the steep roof on the miso and rice storehouse elsewhere on the estate.
The tiles are Sekishu-gawara, red-brown tiles fired in the Iwami region of western Shimane and valued along the Sea of Japan coast for standing up to frost.
The walls of the Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse were left as rough clay, never given a coat of white plaster. Inside it is two full storeys, a way of doubling the storage in a very small footprint.
Visiting
The storehouse is not open to the public, and no opening has been announced (checked 25 September 2026). Tucked between the main house and the brewery in the middle of the plot, it is unlikely to be visible from outside. Do not enter the grounds.
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Q&A
- When was the Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse built?
- Its ridge tag dates it to 1835. It is the oldest building on the Hirata estate with a known construction date.
- What was the Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse used for?
- It was built as a store for equipment. The interior is two full storeys, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as indispensable to a large brewing estate.
- What kind of roof does the Hirata Dairoku storehouse have?
- A gently pitched okiyane, a roof set on top of the clay body, covered with red-brown Sekishu tiles. The outer walls are finished in rough clay.
- Can I see the Hirata Dairoku storehouse?
- No public opening has been announced (checked 25 September 2026), and because it stands inside the compound it is probably not visible from outside.
- Where is the Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse located on the estate?
- It stands between the main house and the sake brewery, a small two-storey storehouse with a footprint of 29 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 237 Omi, Sekikawa Village, Iwafune County, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/10/14 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, two storeys, tiled roof (metal sheet on lean-to eaves), 3.5 by 2.5 ken, building area 29 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (checked 2026/9/25) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001332
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Sake Brewery
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001331
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Hirata Dairoku Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001328
Last verified: 2026.09.25
