What is the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse?
The Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse (河野家住宅表土蔵, Kawano-ke Jūtaku Omote-dozō) is a late Edo-period storehouse for household goods on the southern part of the east side of the Kawano family's compound in Uchida-cho, Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Registered Tangible Cultural Property) on March 6, 2024. It is a 2-story Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof, and at 13 square meters of building area it is the smallest of the six buildings registered at the compound.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1868). It stands north of the front gate along the street, and the agency describes the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse as part of the frontage that gives the old family's compound its shape on the street. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country.
A detached tiled roof over a plaster box
The Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse has its ridge running north to south, a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) and its entrance on the long side (Hirairi). The roof is an Okiyane: a separately framed roof set on top of the thick clay-and-plaster body of the storehouse and laid with round and flat tiles (Hongawarabuki). Because a gap is left between the body and the roof, the roof can burn and fall away in a fire while the sealed box beneath protects what is stored inside.
On the west side, facing into the compound, is a pent roof (Geya) laid with lighter interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki), a different tile from the main roof above it.
Two faces, two finishes
The walls of the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse are finished in lime plaster (Shikkui), but the lower part of the wall is treated differently on each side. The east face, toward the street, has vertical wooden boarding. The west face, toward the yard, is Namako-kabe: flat tiles fixed to the wall with their joints built up into rounded ridges of white plaster. The agency's note says this gives the west side a weighty look, and Izumi City also picks out the tiled lower walls as the storehouse's defining feature.
Inside, each floor is a single boarded room with no partitions, so the little storehouse holds its household goods on two levels within 13 square meters.
Visiting the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse
From the street you can see the east face of the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse, with its boarded base under white plaster. The namako-kabe west face looks into the compound, so it comes into view once you pass through the front gate.
It is unconfirmed if the storehouse is open inside. The grounds of Kawanotei can be entered during gallery and café hours, but if you want to see the interior of the front storehouse, ask the operator in advance.
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Q&A
- What was the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse used for?
- It stored household goods. It stands along the street on the southern part of the east side and, with the front gate, forms the street front of the compound.
- When was the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1868). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024.
- What is unusual about the walls of the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse?
- The plastered walls have a boarded base on the street side and a namako-kabe tiled base on the yard side, so the two long faces are finished differently.
- What is the okiyane roof of the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse?
- A roof framed separately and set on top of the storehouse body with a gap between them. Here it is laid with round and flat tiles.
- Can I see inside the Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse?
- It is unconfirmed if the interior is open. The east face can be seen from the street and the namako-kabe west face from inside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 236 Uchida-cho 3-chome, Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 6, 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 13 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street and the grounds; interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014875
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kawano Family Residence Front Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/564755
- Izumi City: Kawano Family Residence to Become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (November 24, 2023, Japanese)
- https://www.city.osaka-izumi.lg.jp/kakukano/syougaibu/bunkaisan/bunkazai_event/19452.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
