What the South Storehouse Is
The Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse (岩根家住宅南蔵, Iwane-ke Jūtaku Minamigura) in Gokenya 2-chome, Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture, is a storehouse of the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918), registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on November 17, 2015. It combines an earthen-walled storehouse (Dozo-zukuri) with a timber section, all single-storey under a tile roof, with a building area of 91 square meters.
It runs along the road on the south edge of the estate for about 18 meters, and was altered around 1975.
From the street it reads as a long white storehouse wall. At its west end, though, it holds a small sitting room facing the garden, and that double character is what makes it interesting.
A Wall for the Street, a Room for the Garden
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the street side of the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse is finished in Shikkui plaster with vertical boarding along the lower wall. On the inner side, facing the grounds, an open lean-to (Geya) shelters the storehouse doors. Goods went in and out from inside the estate; the street saw only a closed wall.
At the west end, facing the garden, is a sitting room: a tea room built around a four-and-a-half-mat space, with a veranda (Engawa) running around it. Part of the storehouse was given over to a small room for looking at the garden.
The estate also has a freestanding tea room made from a sake barrel, built around 1957. The room in the south storehouse is some 40 years older, a Taisho-era space for tea.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency writes that the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse contributes to the landscape of the settlement and adds character to the garden. On the street, its long plastered wall shapes the townscape; inside the estate, the sitting room becomes part of the garden view.
The gatehouse stands near its east end, and the Agency describes the two together as giving the estate a dignified street front. To the west the kangobei fence carries on, enclosing the southwest side of the estate as far as the corner of the west storehouse. The south storehouse is register no. 27-0637, registered under the historic landscape criterion.
Seeing the South Storehouse
The street side of the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse can be seen from the road along the south edge of the estate: about 18 meters of white plaster with boarding below. The garden-side lean-to and the sitting room are inside the grounds and cannot be seen.
Walking along that road, you can follow the south face of the estate from the storehouse wall into the kangobei fence. The route from the station is described on the Iwane Family Residence group page.
Q&A
- What is the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse?
- A long storehouse, about 18 meters, on the road along the south of the estate, with a sitting room facing the garden at its west end. The sitting room is a tea room built around a four-and-a-half-mat space, with a veranda around it.
- When was the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse built?
- In the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918), with alterations around 1975. It was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on November 17, 2015.
- How is the street side of the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse finished?
- In plaster with vertical boarding along the lower wall. The doors are not on the street but open onto an open lean-to on the inner side.
- Why is the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse a registered cultural property?
- It was registered, as no. 27-0637, for contributing to the landscape of the settlement while its west-end sitting room adds character to the garden.
- Can the Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse be seen from outside?
- Its street side can be seen from the road to the south. The garden side and sitting room are inside the grounds, and the Iwane Family Residence is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse (岩根家住宅南蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1525-1 Gokenya, Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 27-0637 |
| Year Designated | Registered November 17, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey earthen-walled and wooden building, tiled roof, building area 91 square meters, about 18 meters long |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Street side visible from the road to the south |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010839
- Cultural Heritage Online: Iwane Family Residence South Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/213564
- Registered Cultural Property: Iwane Family Residence (Tondabayashi City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.tondabayashi.lg.jp/site/bunkazai/2558.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
