A Storehouse of Two Halves
At the western end of the compound's front, a low storehouse runs back to the north-west from the side of the gate. Inside it is divided in two: a rice store (momi-gura) to the east and a tile store (kawara-gura) to the west, and the building carries both names. It was built in 1925, in the Taishō period, the most recent of the five registered structures.
Where its neighbours to the east are true mud-walled storehouses, this one is built the plainer way.
Split Tiling and Exposed Posts
Registered in 2005 as part of the historic frontage, the storehouse uses shinkabe construction, with the timber posts left exposed rather than buried under plaster. Its gabled roof is tiled in two ways: heavy formal pantile (hongawara) on the south slope facing the approach, lighter pan-tile (sangawara) on the north.
The base sits on rounded river stones packed with cut stone, and the south wall is plastered above and clad in vertical boarding below. With the gate beside it, the storehouse holds the western side of the residence's outer face.
Grain to Live On, Tiles to Mend the Roofs
Two things reward a close look. The split tiling is a thrift made visible: the good tiles face the world, the plain ones face away. And the pairing of a tile store with a rice store in one building points to what the compound needed to keep on hand. Grain to live on, and spare roof tiles to maintain the very roofs standing around it.
The storehouse can be seen from the museum grounds as part of the registered frontage. Read alongside the older buildings, it shows the compound still being added to in the twentieth century, a working residence rather than a preserved set piece.
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Q&A
- What does the building store, and why the double name?
- Its interior is split into a rice store on the east and a tile store on the west, so it carries both names: kawara-gura (tile) and momi-gura (rice).
- How is it different from the other storehouses here?
- It uses shinkabe construction, with the wooden posts left visible, rather than the thick mud-plastered dozō walls of the No. 2 storehouse and the storehouse beyond it.
- Why are there two kinds of roof tile?
- The south slope facing the approach is laid in heavier formal pantile, the north slope in lighter tile. Using better tiles where they show is a practical economy built into the roof.
- When was it built?
- In 1925, during the Taishō period, which makes it the newest of the museum's five registered buildings. It was registered in 2005.
Basic Information
| Name | Kotanijō Local History Museum Tile and Rice Storehouse (小谷城郷土館瓦蔵・籾蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1602-1 Toyoda, Minami-ku, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registered 12 July 2005; 46th registration) |
| Registration ground | Contribution to the historic landscape |
| Count and structure | 1 building; Timber, single storey; tile roof; approx. 21 m² |
| Period | Taishō period, 1925 |
| Owner | Kotanijō Local History Museum (general incorporated foundation) |
| Access | Approx. 20-minute walk from Izumigaoka Station (Semboku Rapid Railway), or a 5-minute walk from the Toyoda-minami bus stop (Nankai Bus) |
| Opening | Museum open 10:00–16:00; closed Mondays (or the following day if a public holiday), with seasonal closures. Admission 200 yen (university age and above) / 100 yen (school-age children). Photography not permitted indoors. |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database — Kotanijō Local History Museum Tile and Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004781
- Cultural Heritage Online — Kotanijō Local History Museum Tile and Rice Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/142051
- Sakai City — Kotanijō Local History Museum (Registered Cultural Properties)
- https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/bunkazai/bunkazai/torokuseido/kotanijo.html
Last verified: 2026.07.09