Kaname Family Residence Utensil Storehouse

One Side of a Storehouse Court

The Kaname Family Residence Utensil Storehouse (要家住宅道具蔵, Kaname-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is a late-Edo-period fireproof storehouse on the Kaname family estate in Hatakenaka 2-chome, Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017. It was renovated in 1993.

It faces south, looking across a small yard at the north-facing Kanenoto Storehouse. The building is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri structure of 3 by 2.5 ken, covering 23 square metres. Together with the Kanenoto and Michi storehouses it forms a U-shaped group on the eastern side of the lot.

Why It Was Listed

The Kaname Family Residence Utensil Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that its U-shaped arrangement with the other two storehouses gives order to the eastern part of the estate.

What counts here is the ensemble. The Kanenoto and Utensil storehouses turn their fronts toward each other, and the large Michi Storehouse closes the east end. With doorways facing across a shared yard, the space between them could serve as a working area for loading and unloading. Take away any one of the three and the enclosure falls apart.

As its name suggests, it probably held household utensils and furnishings. A Seven Headmen family receiving the domain lord would have needed plenty of trays, bowls and fittings for formal hospitality, though no record of the actual contents has been published.

Roof and Frame

The gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of the Kaname Family Residence Utensil Storehouse is covered in slate, except for the south face and the door canopy, which keep hongawara tile. The south side is the front, facing the Kanenoto Storehouse and most visible from within the compound. The arrangement looks like a choice to keep traditional tile where it would be seen and use lighter slate elsewhere, though published sources do not say when the split was made.

The roof frame is Wagoya, short posts standing on tie beams, the most common system in Japanese houses. It differs from the older Inner Storehouse, where a heavy ridge beam and sloping beams carry the roof, so the two buildings make a useful comparison of methods across generations.

The interior walls are boarded, and the upper floor has one window each on the east and west, placed opposite each other to let air flow through.

Visiting

The Kaname Family Residence Utensil Storehouse is part of a private home and is not open to the public. The storehouse court lies inside the earthen walls and cannot be seen from outside. No viewing events were announced as of September 25, 2026.

An exterior photograph appears in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.