The eastern of two storehouses
Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse is a two-storey plastered storehouse of the Taisho era (1912-1926) at 40 Higashi-Shinmachi in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on May 7, 1997. It stands at the rear of the Kajimura grounds and takes its name from being the eastern of the two storehouses there.
Construction follows the traditional pattern for the type. A gabled roof of the Kirizuma-zukuri kind, Sangawara-buki pantiles, and thick walls of the great-wall method in which the structural posts are buried inside the plaster rather than left showing. Floor area 33 square meters over two levels.
The surfaces are where a storehouse declares itself. The finish is Shikkui lime plaster, and at the points most exposed to weather and knocks the wall changes to Namako-kabe, square tiles set with raised plaster joints in a lattice. The national database calls the resulting elevation heavy, and the word is right; against the timber buildings in front of it the storehouse reads as masonry.
Then look up. The eaves are carried on a cornice built out in three stacked courses, a moulded band running round the top of the wall. It is a decorative move on a building whose whole purpose was to protect goods from fire and damp.
Registered for the quality of its craft
The East Storehouse of Joto Mukashi Machiya became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 7, 1997, announced on May 29, with register number 33-0010. The criterion is that it serves as a model of its kind in form and design.
The database explains the choice in terms of technique. It treats the building as showing how far storehouse construction had been carried by the Taisho years, and the three-course cornice together with the namako tiling is the evidence it points to. Plasterers' work of this order was expensive and slow, and a merchant house commissioning it on a utility building was making a point about its own standing.
A note on the wider system is useful here. Registration is the lighter of Japan's two frameworks for buildings, created for structures that are valued and in active use rather than frozen; the Joto district around this storehouse was selected as a Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2013 under a separate mechanism that protects the whole streetscape.
What to look at
Give the namako panels a close look. The tiles are laid on the diagonal and the plaster joints are raised into rounded ridges between them, so that the pattern casts its own shadow and changes through the day. On the Joto Mukashi Machiya East Storehouse the panels are placed where they do practical work, at the base and the corners, rather than spread over the whole face.
Then step back for the cornice. Three courses is a lot of build-up for a storehouse of this size, and seeing it from far enough away that the whole band reads at once is the only way to judge the proportion.
The doors deserve a moment. Storehouse openings were made to seal, with thick leaves and stepped rebates that close against fire, and the ironwork on them is usually the plainest but best-made metal on the property.
Look at the two storehouses together as well. They were built to be seen as a pair, and the eastern one is the larger and slightly earlier of them.
Visiting
The Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse cannot be visited at present. Renovation work began after the owner, Tsuyama City, closed the compound on the first day of June in 2025, and the announced reopening is around November 2026, with part of the estate to be used as accommodation. Telephone 0868-22-5791 for current information.
Until it closed the compound charged nothing for entry. Opening ran from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the last visitors being admitted at 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday was the weekly closing day, shifting to the next day after a public holiday, and the estate also shut from December 29 to January 3.
The walk from JR Tsuyama Station heads east and takes about 25 minutes. Drivers reach the district in roughly 10 minutes from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway and should use the Joto district visitor car park. Standing at the back of the plot, the storehouse is invisible from the street.
Photography rules after the reopening have not been made public. Assume nothing and ask at the entrance.
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Q&A
- What is special about the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse?
- Its plasterwork. Lime plaster walls carry namako tiling at the exposed points, and the eaves rest on a cornice built out in three stacked courses, unusual elaboration for a utility building of 33 square meters.
- Why is it called the Joto Mukashi Machiya East Storehouse?
- Because two storehouses stand side by side at the back of the estate and this is the eastern one. The western storehouse is slightly smaller and was built later, in the early Showa years.
- When was the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse registered?
- On May 7, 1997, under register number 33-0010, as a model of its kind in form and design. The building itself dates from the Taisho era (1912-1926).
- Is the Joto Mukashi Machiya East Storehouse open to the public?
- Not currently. The compound closed for renovation work in 2025 and reopens in 2026 according to the city. The storehouse sits at the rear and is not visible from outside.
- How do I get to the Joto Mukashi Machiya East Storehouse?
- About 25 minutes east on foot from JR Tsuyama Station, or roughly 10 minutes by car from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway. Park at the Joto district visitor car park.
Basic Information
| Name | Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 40 Higashi-Shinmachi, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on May 7, 1997 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, floor area 33 square meters |
| Owner | Tsuyama City |
| Public Access | Closed for renovation work (since 2025); reopening planned in 2026 |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000164
- Tsuyama Machijuu Museum, Digital Experience Guide: Old Machiya Townhouse of Joto
- https://tsuyama-machijuu.jp/en/guide/joto-mukashi/
- Okayama Kanko Web: Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_10509.html
Last verified: 2026.09.09