Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse

What Is the Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse?

The Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse (岡本家住宅中蔵, Okamoto-ke Jūtaku Nakagura) is a mid-Edo-period storehouse in Kitamachi, Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003.

Three storehouses line the north side of the Okamoto soy brewers' property, and this one stands in the middle, with the New Storehouse on the street to its west and the North Storehouse to its east.

It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building, 2 ken by 3 ken in plan, with a building area of 62 m² and a slate roof today. In footprint it matches the New Storehouse next door, but it is thought to be more than a century older.

Dating the Okamoto Middle Storehouse

Local tradition holds that the Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse was built in the Kyoho era (1716 to 1736). The Agency for Cultural Affairs does not mention a ridge tag for this building, so the tradition alone cannot settle its age. Instead, the Agency tests it against two pieces of evidence.

The first is the timber. The Middle Storehouse's materials are clearly older than those of the New Storehouse, which a ridge tag dates to 1857. Having a securely dated building right next door gives a useful point of comparison.

The second is the layout. A Buddhist altar room added to the house in the Tenpo era (1830 to 1844) was built so as to avoid the Middle Storehouse, which implies the storehouse was already standing when that room went up.

On that basis, the Agency judges the Kyoho tradition to be "largely reasonable," and the building is registered as mid-Edo. It is an argued estimate rather than a proven date, and it is worth reading it that way.

Registration and a Changed Roof

The Okamoto Middle Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency notes that none of the three storehouses was used for brewing; they were family stores for tools and household goods.

The roof is not original. According to the Agency's note on the North Storehouse, after an earthquake both the Middle and North Storehouses reluctantly had their traditional round-and-flat clay tiles replaced with artificial slate. Next to the New Storehouse, which kept its tiles, the difference in roof texture is a record of that repair.

Even with a new roof, the body of a storehouse that may date to the early 18th century survives in its original relationship to the altar room. For anyone trying to work out the order in which the Okamoto Family Residence took shape, the Middle Storehouse is one of the starting points.

Visiting the Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse

The Okamoto Family Residence Middle Storehouse is privately owned and not open inside. Its relationship to the altar room lies within the house and cannot be checked from outside.

The storehouse stands just east of the New Storehouse on the street, so how much you see depends on where you stand. Look only from the public street and do not enter the property. There is no official guidance on photography; keep to exterior shots taken from the street. Directions are on the Okamoto Family Residence page.