Ninomiya Family No. 3 Storehouse
South of the No. 2 Storehouse, set on an east-west line, the No. 3 Storehouse stands beside its neighbor as a matched pair. Built in 1901 (Meiji 34), it is a two-story plastered vault of eight ken by two and a half, about 65 square meters, with a doorway on the north face toward the east end.
Like the No. 2, its lower walls are namako-kabe, the square-tile grid jointed in raised white plaster. The east gable is treated differently from the others: no window is opened on the ground floor, two windows are set as a pair on the upper floor, and at the peak, where the ridge timber ends, a family crest is molded in plaster.
Why It Is Registered
The No. 3 Storehouse was registered in 2006 under the criterion of serving as a model of form. The molded crest at the gable peak is the telling detail. Plasterwork at that scale and position took skill and expense, and it marks the vault as one the family wished to be seen as finely made.
Paired with the No. 2 and aligned east to west, the No. 3 also holds its part of a composed group. The consistent namako base, the careful gable, and the crest together show a household that built its storehouses as architecture, not merely as containers.
Seeing the Storehouse
The vault is within the private grounds and is best seen during the seasonal garden opening, roughly late May to mid-June. View it together with the adjoining No. 2 Storehouse to read the pair as it was built.
Look up to the east gable peak for the plaster crest where the ridge timber ends, then note the blank ground floor and the twin windows above. The arrangement is deliberate, and the crest rewards a closer look for the crispness of its molding.
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Questions and Answers
- What is the crest at the top of the gable?
- A family crest molded in plaster at the peak of the east gable, where the ridge timber ends. Fine plasterwork in that position marked a vault the family wanted to show as carefully made.
- Why is the No. 3 paired with the No. 2?
- The two stand side by side on an east-west line and share the namako lower wall, forming a matched pair within the estate's group of vaults.
- When was it built?
- In 1901 (Meiji 34), between the earlier 1875 vaults and the 1908 No. 5 Storehouse, as the family extended its storehouses over time.
- Why are there no ground-floor windows on the east gable?
- The east gable opens only on the upper floor, with two windows set as a pair, while the lower floor is left blank, an arrangement particular to this vault.
- 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, No. 3 Storehouse (Ninomiya-ke Jutaku Sango Dozo) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1087 Hasuno, Seiro, Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); Registration No. 15-0245 |
| Registered | November 29, 2006 (gazetted December 19, 2006) |
| Date | 1901 (Meiji 34) |
| Structure | Two-story plastered storehouse, tiled roof; building area approx. 65 m2; 1 unit |
| Dimensions | 8 ken by 2.5 ken; paired with the No. 2 Storehouse |
| 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/101/00005967
- 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