A storehouse behind a glazed porch
Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse (森医院家財蔵, Mori Iin Kazaigura) is a two-storey earthen storehouse (Dozo-zukuri) on the Mori medical family's estate in Manoshinmachi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, dated to the Taisho era and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2006.
It stands south of the main house with its front to the north. It measures 6 metres by 5 metres, a building area of 44 square metres, under a gabled pantile roof, and a lean-to (Geya) one ken deep, about 1.8 metres, runs across the front. As the name suggests, it held the family's furniture and household possessions.
Why it was registered, and a question of date
Like the rest of the estate, it was registered under the historic landscape criterion. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse as a building that is both sturdy and finely finished, and that is where its value lies.
The sources differ on its age. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the Taisho era. Sado City says the date is not known and, judging by the design, suggests anywhere in the late Meiji or Taisho periods. This article follows the national database, but a date at the very end of the Meiji period cannot be ruled out.
Either way it is younger than the miso storehouse and the barn, and older than the hospital building of 1932. It belongs to the years around and after the main house of 1909, when the family was adding storage to the estate.
Clapboard walls, plastered openings
The walls are clad in horizontal boards (Shitami-itabari), so this earthen storehouse presents a timber face. Only the front door and the windows on both floors of the east side are finished in white plaster (Shikkui).
The result is white openings set into a boarded wall. Openings are the weak point of any storehouse in a fire, so sealing the door and windows in plaster makes practical sense.
Glass doors fill the front of the lean-to, creating an enclosed space one ken deep before the storehouse door. It is the detail that gives Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse its distinctive front.
Seeing Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse
Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse is privately owned and the interior is closed.
It stands south of the main house towards the back of the plot, and the primary sources do not confirm that it can be seen from the street. The outdoor toilet stands just to the west, between this storehouse and the main house extension. Please keep to the public road. The Mori Clinic page covers transport to Manoshinmachi.
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Q&A
- When was Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taisho era. Sado City says the date is unknown and suggests the late Meiji or Taisho periods based on the design. It was registered on 18 October 2006.
- How big is Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse?
- It measures 6 metres by 5 metres, with a building area of 44 square metres over 2 storeys, plus a lean-to about 1.8 metres deep across the front.
- What does Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse look like?
- The walls are clad in horizontal boards, with the front door and the east windows finished in white plaster. Glass doors close the front of the lean-to.
- Where is Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse on the estate?
- South of the main house, facing north. The outdoor toilet stands between it and the main house extension.
- Can I see inside Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and closed, and the sources do not confirm that it is visible from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 502-A, Manoshinmachi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 18 October 2006 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 44 square metres |
| Owner | Private (no owner named in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior viewing from the street only) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Mori Clinic Household Goods Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005808
- Sado City: Registered Tangible Cultural Property, Mori Clinic (Japanese)
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4962.html
Last verified: 2026.09.21
