What Is the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse?
The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse (荒木家住宅酒蔵, Araki-ke Jūtaku Sakagura) is a two-story Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse built in 1914 on the grounds of the Araki Family Residence in Mori, Kusu Town, Oita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 26, 2015. It has a gabled roof of interlocking pan tiles and a building area of 121 square meters.
The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse stands northwest of the street-facing main house, its ridge running north to south. At roughly 18 meters long, it covers more than three times the floor area of the kitchen storehouse on the same lot, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs simply calls it a large storehouse.
Why the Sake Storehouse Was Registered
The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse was registered, as number 44-0207, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency's assessment points to the care taken over its wall surfaces, which give a large and otherwise plain storehouse a distinct face.
The building also sits at a point of change. Outside, the Araki sake storehouse is a traditional plastered earthen kura; inside, its roof is carried on a Western-style truss rather than the stacked beams of the Japanese roof frame. The kitchen storehouse of 1904, on the same lot, uses the Japanese Wagoya frame, so the two buildings record different roof framing about ten years apart within a single household.
What to Look For
Rounded plaster around the openings
The outer walls of the Araki sake storehouse are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, and the plaster around each window and doorway is rounded off instead of being brought to a sharp edge. That softened outline is the detail that most sets the walls apart.
Tile-lined string course and window hoods
On the main face, a Mizukiri string course marks the line between the two floors, and it is lined with roof tiles. Each upper-floor window has its own small Hisashi hood, also tiled. The long horizontal line of tiles and the row of tiled hoods above it break up what would otherwise be a blank wall two stories high.
The east doorway
The entrance of the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse is on the east wall, one of the long sides, facing the street side of the lot, and it is sheltered by its own hood. Together with the string course and the window hoods, the doorway hood gives the east face depth.
Visiting the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse
The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse stands behind the main house, toward the northwest of the lot. Its interior is not open, and no public or special openings could be found, so the Western-style roof truss inside cannot be seen.
Because the storehouse is behind the main house, how much of it is visible from the street has not been confirmed. Do not enter the lot; view whatever can be seen from the public road.
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Q&A
- When was the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse built and registered?
- The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse was built in 1914 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 26, 2015.
- How big is the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse?
- The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse is a two-story earthen storehouse about 18 meters long, with a building area of 121 square meters.
- What is unusual about the roof frame of the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse?
- The Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse has a Western-style truss roof frame, known as yogoya, inside a traditional plastered exterior.
- What exterior details stand out on the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse?
- Look for the rounded plaster around the openings of the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse, the tiles lining the string course between the floors, and the tiled hoods over the upper windows.
- Can visitors see the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse?
- The interior of the Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse is not open. It stands behind the main house, so views from the street are likely to be limited.
Basic Information
| Name | Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse (荒木家住宅酒蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 938 Mori, Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 26, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-story earthen storehouse, tiled roof, about 18 m long, building area 121 m² |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010538
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Araki Family Residence Kitchen Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010539
- Cultural Heritage Online: Araki Family Residence Sake Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/211567
- Kusu Town: Cultural Properties of Kusu Town (Japanese)
- https://www.town.kusu.oita.jp/soshiki/shakaikyoikuka/2/5/bunkazai/936.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
