Ninomiya Family Miscellaneous Storehouse
Near the western edge of the grounds, west of the No. 2 Storehouse, a small vault stands on a north-south line. This is the Miscellaneous Storehouse, built in 1875 (Meiji 8). It is a single-story plastered building of three and a half ken by two, about 22 square meters, the smallest of the registered storehouses on the estate.
A clay pent runs along the east face, sheltering the doorway. The walls are boarded high with vertical planks, and only the south gable is pierced by a small window. This is a plain storehouse for ordinary goods, and it was built to look the part.
Why It Is Registered
The Miscellaneous Storehouse was registered in 2006 under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. Its role is spatial: standing near the western boundary, it helps define the rear garden of the estate, giving that quieter zone an edge and a sense of enclosure.
A landowner's grounds were composed, not just occupied, and a humble storehouse placed at the right point did real work in shaping how the spaces read. The value here is in that contribution to the whole rather than in the building's own modest fabric.
Seeing the Storehouse
The vault lies within the private grounds and is seen during the seasonal garden opening, roughly late May to mid-June. It sits in the rear part of the estate, away from the formal frontage.
Notice how plain it is beside the crested vaults: vertical planking, a single small window, a low clay pent. Then notice where it stands. Its position at the western edge gives the rear garden its quiet boundary, and that placement is the point of the building.
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Questions and Answers
- What was kept in the Miscellaneous Storehouse?
- Ordinary goods, as its name suggests. It is a plain general-purpose vault, simpler than the document vault or the rice granary.
- Why is such a small building registered?
- Because of where it stands. Set near the western edge, it helps shape the rear garden of the estate, contributing to the historic landscape as a whole.
- When was it built?
- In 1875 (Meiji 8), among the earliest of the estate's storehouses, dating from the rebuilding after the fire of that year.
- How is it different from the other vaults?
- It is the smallest and plainest, with vertical plank walls rather than namako tilework or a plaster crest, and a single small window on the south gable.
- Can I go inside?
- No. It lies within a private residence. The grounds open for a short season each year, and the building is viewed from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Ninomiya Family Residence, Miscellaneous Storehouse (Ninomiya-ke Jutaku Zatsugura) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1087 Hasuno, Seiro, Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); Registration No. 15-0248 |
| Registered | November 29, 2006 (gazetted December 19, 2006) |
| Date | 1875 (Meiji 8) |
| Structure | Single-story plastered storehouse, tiled roof; building area approx. 22 m2; 1 unit |
| Dimensions | 3.5 ken by 2 ken; near the western edge of the grounds |
| Owner | Ninomiya family (private residence) |
| Access | Private estate; garden and rose garden open seasonally, roughly late May to mid-June |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005970
- Niigata Tourism Navigator: Ninomiya Garden Seishoen and Rose Garden
- https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/experience/11906
- Maipure (Shibata-Tainai-Seiro): History of the Ninomiya Family
- https://shibata-niigata.mypl.net/article/ninomiyaketeien_shibata-niigta/11615
Last verified: 2026.06.25