About the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse
The Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse (前田家住宅東の蔵, Maeda-ke Jūtaku Higashi no Kura) in Tachibanacho, Imari City, Saga Prefecture, is a late Edo-period earthen-walled storehouse that adjoins the north side of the raised reception room at the eastern end of the main house, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2001.
The East Storehouse is built in Dozo-zukuri with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) tiled roof and has a building area of 51 square meters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1751 to 1829), which places it, with the main house and the Water Mill, among the oldest buildings on the estate.
On the number of storeys, the agency's structure field reads single-story, while its description calls the building two-story.
Why the Maeda East Storehouse was registered
The Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse was registered as a building that would be hard to reproduce. The agency notes that it has the character of a Zashiki-gura, a storehouse attached to the reception rooms, and calls it a major element in the intricate, varied composition of buildings centered on the main house.
A zashiki-gura stands against the formal rooms so that it can be entered directly from them. Because it sits right beside the rooms where guests were received, such a storehouse is generally understood to have held the things brought out for visitors and the household's valued possessions. The Maeda storehouse adjoins the raised room, the highest-ranking room in the house, and that position is what marks it as a zashiki-gura.
What to look for at the Maeda East Storehouse
The East Storehouse has doorways facing two ways. According to the agency, one doorway on the south side connects to the raised reception room, and two more open in the east wall.
The south door reads as the way in from the house, the east doors as the way in from outside. One storehouse thus served both as an extension of the reception rooms and as a place where goods could be carried in and out from the yard.
With an earthen storehouse joined directly to its eastern end, the main house gains a more varied outline. Seen from the east, the tiled storehouse against the thatched house is one of the elements that shape the look of the estate.
Visiting the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse
The interior of the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse is not open to visitors. When the owners rent out the reception rooms and garden for events, the East Storehouse is excluded from the spaces available.
On opening days you can visit the reception rooms of the main house, but please do not touch or peer through the storehouse doors that continue north from the raised room. Ask the owners about photography. Opening days and directions are on the Maeda Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1751 to 1829). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 28, 2001.
- Where is the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse?
- It continues north from the raised reception room at the eastern end of the main house's reception wing, directly attached to the house.
- Why is the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse called a zashiki-gura?
- Its south doorway connects to the raised room, the highest-ranking room in the house, so it can be entered straight from the reception rooms. The agency describes it as having the character of a zashiki-gura.
- How many doorways does the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse have?
- Besides the south doorway leading to the raised room, it has two doorways in the east wall.
- Can I go inside the Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse?
- No. The interior is not open, and the owners exclude it from the spaces they rent out.
Basic Information
| Name | Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4028 Tachibanacho, Imari City, Saga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 28, 2001 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 51 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Interior closed (main house open on set days) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002316
- Cultural Heritage Online: Maeda Family Residence East Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/178536
- Imari City: Maeda Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.imari.lg.jp/2977.htm
- Maeda Family Residence: guide to the house (Japanese)
- https://www.maedake-jyutaku.com/items
Last verified: 2026.10.10
