About the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse
The Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse (旧新井家住宅南土蔵, Kyū Arai-ke Jūtaku Minami Dozō) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse in Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, built in the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897) on the estate of the Arai family, village headmen of Komahongo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. It measures 6.4 by 4.5 meters, with a building area of 39 square meters.
It stands east of the main house and faces west. The estate has two storehouses, and this is the southern one. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse was originally used to keep household goods, while its smaller northern counterpart held food. It was renovated in 2012.
Why the South Storehouse Was Registered
The South Storehouse is registration number 11-0138, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs mentions its fairly large lean-to on the west side and the way it works with the barn to give the estate a composed front.
Hidaka City describes the south storehouse as relatively large and imposing, and the north storehouse as "standard in size and construction." Put side by side, the two descriptions mean that the larger of the two storehouses is the one standing on the estate's public side.
A Floating Roof and a Gable-End Door
The Arai south storehouse is built in the Dozo-zukuri manner: a timber frame buried in thick clay walls finished in plaster. Its gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) is an Okiyane, a separate timber roof set on top of the sealed clay box rather than built into it. The roof frame is the traditional Japanese beam-and-strut type (Wagoya). Builders favored this arrangement because the gap between roof and walls shades the store from summer heat and, in a fire, lets the roof burn away while the clay body protects what is inside.
According to the city, the doorway opens in the gable end, the side where the triangle of the roof shows, and is sheltered by its own small canopy. Entering through the short side in this way is what the city has in mind when it calls the storehouse imposing.
On the west side is the lean-to (Geya) that the national database describes as fairly large, a low roof pitched off the main wall to give covered space for loading and unloading. On the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse, that lean-to faces west, toward the main house.
Visiting the South Storehouse
The exterior of the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse can be seen whenever Komagō Kominka is open. Because it faces west, stand on the main house side and look east to see the front with its lean-to. The floating roof is easiest to read from the side, where you can see the gap between the plastered body and the roof above.
The ground and upper floors of the south storehouse can each be booked for events or exhibitions. Access to the interior varies from day to day, so if that matters, ask the Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division (042-989-2111) before you go.
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Q&A
- What was the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse used for?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it stored household goods. The estate's other storehouse, to the north, is thought to have held food.
- When was the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse built?
- The national database dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897). It was renovated in 2012.
- How is the Arai family south storehouse built?
- It is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse with a separately framed gabled roof of pantiles set on top. The door is in the gable end under a small canopy, and a large lean-to projects on the west.
- How big is the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse?
- It measures 6.4 by 4.5 meters, with a building area of 39 square meters, roughly twice that of the north storehouse.
- Where is the best place to view the Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse?
- The storehouse faces west, so look east from the main house side to see its front and lean-to. It can be viewed from inside the grounds on opening days.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse (旧新井家住宅南土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 245 Kaminohara, Oaza Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 11-0138 |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 39 square meters |
| Owner | Hidaka City |
| Public Access | Open to the public (as Komagō Kominka) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009902
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Arai Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/286059
- Introducing Komagō Kominka (Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hidaka.lg.jp/soshiki/shiminseikatsu/sangyoshinko/shokokanko/kanko/sisetu/5836.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
