What Is the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
The Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse (北條家住宅味噌蔵, Hōjō-ke Jūtaku Misogura) is an early-Meiji, 2-storey timber storehouse on the Hojo family estate in Izumi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, with a miso store below and a reception room above, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2006 under number 15-0226.
It stands just east of the household goods storehouse and west of the main house, facing south. With a building area of 34 square meters, it is the smallest of the storehouses at the Hojo Family Residence.
A Storehouse Joined to the House
A covered front bay, or Kuramae, 1.5 Ken deep runs along the south side of the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse and connects it to the main house. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the single, unified exterior that storehouse and house present together, and the building was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
In the main house, the Daidokoro kitchen area sits on the west, or lower, side. The miso storehouse lies immediately west of it, so the family's miso was kept right beside the kitchen where it was used, which is a sensible arrangement for a food that is made in batches and left to mature.
Miso Below, a Reception Room Above
The Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse is 2 ken long and 2.5 ken deep, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. Unlike the rice and household goods storehouses, which are earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri structures, it is built of timber.
The ground floor, finished in Shikkui lime plaster, is the miso store. Upstairs is a Zashiki reception room fitted with a formal Tokonoma alcove arrangement. The building stacks a working store and a room for guests into one small footprint.
No building record is known. Because hand-forged nails (wakugi) were used to fix the rafters over the upstairs room, the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse is thought to date from the early Meiji period.
Visiting the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse
The Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse adjoins the west end of the main house, and its interior, including the upstairs room, is not open. From mid-September 2026 Sado City has asked visitors not to enter the grounds while work is carried out on the main house, and since the storehouse is attached to the house, it cannot be seen up close during that time either.
If the chance comes, look at the bay that carries on from the main house, and at the contrast between this tile-roofed two-storey building and the thatched house beside it.
Q&A
- When was the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse built?
- It is thought to date from the early Meiji period, because hand-forged nails were used to fix the rafters over the upstairs room.
- What is on the upper floor of the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- A reception room with a formal tokonoma alcove arrangement. The ground floor is a plastered store for miso.
- Is the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse connected to the main house?
- Yes. A covered bay 1.5 ken deep on its south side links it to the main house, and the two form one continuous exterior.
- When was the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On 18 October 2006, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 15-0226, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- The interior is not open, and since mid-September 2026 Sado City has asked visitors not to enter the grounds while work is carried out on the main house.
Basic Information
| Name | Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse (北條家住宅味噌蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 33 Izumi Otsu, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 15-0226 |
| Year Designated | Registered 18 October 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 34 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open (visitors are asked not to enter the grounds during work on the main house) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005828
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hojo Family Residence Miso Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/118704
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties: Hojo Family Residence (Sado City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4963.html
- Important Cultural Property: Hojo Family Residence (Sado City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4924.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
