About the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate
The Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate (山本家住宅北土蔵及び表門, Yamamoto-ke Jūtaku Kita Dozō oyobi Omotemon) is a storehouse and gate from the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926) in Saidera 2-chome, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2019. A single-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse with a footprint of 39 square meters and a timber gate 2.0 meters wide are registered together as one property.
The two stand side by side along the passage on the north edge of the plot, the storehouse to the west and the gate to the east. They form the formal front of the old Yamamoto homestead, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes as an imposing frontage.
Suita City's list and council papers sometimes call this property the North Storehouse and Nagaya Gate. This page follows the Agency's registered name, North Storehouse and Front Gate.
The North Storehouse
The storehouse of the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate has a Sangawara-buki pantiled roof, and its walls are coated in white Shikkui plaster right up into the eaves soffit, so no wood shows under the roof. The finish guards against fire and turns the whole building, walls and eaves, into one white surface.
Two bands of Hachimaki moulding run near the top of the walls, and the lower walls are clad in vertical boards (Tateita-bari), the same scheme as the east storehouse on the east side of the plot. Inside is a single room lined with metal sheeting on the walls and ceiling; the east storehouse has it on the walls only.
The Hip-and-Gable Gate
The gate is a timber structure with an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof of pantiles, 2.0 meters wide. It is not large, but a hip-and-gable roof carries more formality than a simple gable, and set beside the white storehouse it gives weight to the house front seen from the passage.
Suita City says the storehouse and gate were built at about the same time as the east storehouse of 1923, and describes them as forming a dignified frontage on the north side. That fits the Agency's late Taisho date.
Registration and Viewing
The Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. Set against the late Edo thatched main house, this Taisho-era storehouse and gate give the homestead its north face.
Standing on the north edge of the plot, it is the easiest of the three to see from outside. The homestead is a private home, however, and no opening has been announced. Please do not pass through or look in at the gate, and photograph only from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Osaka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate
- [ USJ Tickets Osaka Castle & Dotonbori Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926). Suita City says it was built at about the same time as the east storehouse of 1923.
- How is the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate registered?
- The storehouse and the gate are registered together as one property, the storehouse on the west and the gate on the east.
- What is the north storehouse of the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate like?
- A single-storey earthen storehouse with a pantiled roof, plastered up into the eaves, with two moulding bands near the top and board cladding below. Inside is one room lined with metal sheeting on the walls and ceiling.
- What kind of gate is the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate?
- A timber gate 2.0 meters wide with a pantiled hip-and-gable roof.
- Can I see the Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate?
- It stands on the north edge of the plot and can be seen from outside, but the homestead is private and not open, so please do not enter through the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 4035 Saidera 2-chome, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered December 5, 2019) |
| Quantity | 1 building (north storehouse and front gate) |
| Dimensions | Storehouse building area 39 square meters; gate frontage 2.0 meters |
| Owner | Private individual (per Suita City's list) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the public road (grounds not open) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013146
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamamoto Family Residence North Storehouse and Front Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/404571
- Suita City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.suita.osaka.jp/bunkazai/shitei/1031084.html
- Suita City: Cultural Properties Protection Council materials, FY2023 (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.suita.osaka.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/031/537/bunkazaihogosinngikai-siryou.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.04
