About the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse
The Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse (西江家住宅書庫, Nishie-ke Jūtaku Shoko) is a small early Meiji single-storey storehouse for books, standing north of the main house on the Nishie family estate in Nariwa-cho Sakamoto, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. It faces the grain storehouse across a narrow garden path (Roji).
Its footprint is only about 23 square meters. The roof is gabled and pantiled, and the doorway opens in the east gable end. It is the only single-storey storehouse on the estate.
Together with the grain storehouse, the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse forms a small precinct of storehouses north of the main house.
Why the Book Storehouse Was Registered
It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as small but carefully built, and indispensable to the composition of the estate.
The care shows on the walls. Each face carries a mizukiri, a narrow rain-shedding pent roof, but it is set at different heights on the gable ends and on the long sides. The base, corners and the band above the pent roof are clad in Namako-kabe tiles. A 23-square-meter storehouse receives the same finishes as the much larger grain and tool storehouses.
No published source says exactly what was kept inside. The owners note that the family's archive of about 7,000 historical documents is now deposited with the Okayama Prefectural Archives.
What to Look For
Look at how the pent roofs fail to line up. Because the height changes between the triangular gable faces and the long sides, the white and black bands jump a step as you turn the corner. The positions seem to have been set to suit each wall's proportions, and the effect is clearest from an oblique angle.
Then compare it with its neighbour. Paired across the path with the two-storey grain storehouse, the low Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse looks lower still, yet the shared finishes make the two read as a set.
The doorway in the east gable opens onto the path, so books would have gone in and out along the route from the main house.
Visiting the Book Storehouse
There is no indication that the interior of the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse is open. If your tour takes you to the north side of the main house, you can see it beside the grain storehouse.
The estate is the Nishie family's home and visits are by reservation only. Phone photography is allowed, but exhibits may not be photographed and commercial shoots are not permitted; staff point out where the buildings can be photographed after you enter.
Directions and booking details are on the Nishie Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- What is the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse?
- A small early Meiji single-storey storehouse for books, north of the main house and across a path from the grain storehouse. Its footprint is about 23 square meters under a gabled pantiled roof.
- Why is the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2003 as contributing to the historic landscape: small but carefully finished with pent roofs and namako tiling, and essential to the layout of the estate.
- What details should I notice on the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse?
- The rain-shedding pent roofs sit at different heights on the gable ends and the long sides, so the bands of tiling step as you turn the corner.
- Can I see inside the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse?
- There is no indication that the interior is open to visitors.
- Are the Nishie family documents displayed in the Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse?
- According to the owners, the family's roughly 7,000 historical documents are deposited with the Okayama Prefectural Archives. There is no mention of them being shown in the book storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1604 Nariwa-cho Sakamoto, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2003 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 23 square meters; storehouse construction, single storey |
| Owner | Private (the Nishie family) |
| Public Access | Interior not open |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003711
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nishie Family Residence Book Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140981
- Takahashi City Cultural Property Map: Nishie Family Residence Main House and others
- https://www.city.takahashi.lg.jp/bunkazai/map/0153.html
- Nishie Residence official site: History (family archive)
- https://inishiekaoru1647.wixsite.com/nishie-residence/history
- Nishie Residence official site: Activity (opening and rules)
- https://inishiekaoru1647.wixsite.com/nishie-residence/%E6%96%BD%E8%A8%AD%E5%85%AC%E9%96%8B
Last verified: 2026.09.24
