What is the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
The Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse (保阪家住宅道具蔵, Hosaka-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is an earthen-walled storehouse in Tonome, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, built in 1826, moved to its present site in 1909 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024, under registration number 15-0590.
A dogugura is a store for household goods, and this one is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 178 square meters. It stands north of the main house of the Hosaka estate and was renovated in 2008.
Why the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse was registered
The Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a large storehouse with a solid, weighty presence.
It is the only registered building on the estate that goes back to the Edo period, older than the other four by more than 80 years. It was moved here in 1909, the year the annex was built and shortly after fire struck the house, so it was probably set up again as part of the rebuilding. No source records where it stood before.
Two storehouses under one protective roof
What stands out at the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse is that it is really two storehouses. Each has a gabled roof and is entered from the gable end (Tsumairi); they stand side by side, and a single Okiyane of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) is laid over both. The okiyane is a separate roof raised above the clay roof of a storehouse, and here one sweep of it gathers the pair into what reads from outside as a single large building.
The walls are finished in white Shikkui lime plaster, with clapboarding along the base. A doorway opens on the south side under a lean-to roof (Geya). Inside, each storehouse has one room per floor, making 4 rooms in all, and every room has 2 freestanding posts in the middle.
The contrast between the white plaster and the dark boarding is clearest from in front of the south doorway, which is also the best place to see the two gable ends sitting under one roof.
Seeing inside the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse
According to the family's website, the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse holds the family's antiques and old documents, and pieces such as Imari porcelain from the collection are displayed there. From July 3 to 5, 2023, the garden, greenhouse and tool storehouse were opened in a special event from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for a maintenance contribution of 800 yen.
The storehouse is normally closed, and even on the spring and autumn Joetsu Meika opening days you should check each time whether the interior is open. Directions and opening dates are on the Hosaka Family Residence (Joetsu) page.
Q&A
- Can I go inside the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- The Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse is normally closed. In July 2023 it opened in a special event together with the greenhouse, with Imari porcelain and other family pieces on display. Check whether the interior is included in each spring and autumn Joetsu Meika opening.
- How old is the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- It was built in 1826 and moved to its present site in 1909, then renovated in 2008. It is the oldest of the registered buildings on the Hosaka estate.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- Two gabled storehouses stand side by side under one tiled okiyane, a protective roof raised above their clay roofs, so from outside they look like a single large building.
- What is inside the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- Each of the two storehouses has one room on each floor, 4 rooms in all, with 2 freestanding posts in the middle of every room.
- Why is the Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, as a large, solid storehouse that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Its registration number is 15-0590.
Basic Information
| Name | Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 489-1 Terabata, Tonome, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 6, 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 178 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened for special events |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014786
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hosaka Family Residence Tool Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/530934
- Joetsu City: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in Joetsu (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/uploaded/attachment/273003.pdf
- Hosaka-tei: Home page and events (Japanese)
- https://hosakatei.ehoh.net/
- Hosaka-tei: Guide to the house (Japanese)
- https://hosakatei.ehoh.net/guide.html
Last verified: 2026.10.21
