A Plastered Storehouse with a Fan on Its Gable
The Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse (旧壺春堂醫院土蔵) is the storehouse of a country doctor's clinic of 1934 in Minano, Minano Town, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 4, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 28 square metres, built in 1934 and moved to its present site in 1963; registration number 11-0199.
A Store for Medical Equipment and Family Goods
The Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse stands toward the northwest of the plot, facing west (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a 2-storey building with its ridge running north to south under a gabled roof of interlocking pan tiles.
The interior is finished in lime plaster, and it held the clinic's medical equipment and the family's household goods (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was built in 1934 and moved to its present position in 1963; the sources consulted do not say where it stood before.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency points to the stepped plasterwork of the door and windows and the relief on the north gable, and registered the storehouse for its contribution to the historic landscape, as part of a local cultural centre together with the main house.
A storehouse door keeps out fire and damp with thick earthen leaves whose edges are built up in steps so they seal tight. Four steps on these doors show how much care plasterers still lavished on a small clinic store in the early Showa years.
What to Look For
The doorway has double doors with four steps of kakego plasterwork, and the upper floor has windows with three steps in both gable ends (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Compare the number of steps on the doors and windows.
On the north gable is a kote-e, a relief in plaster modelled with a trowel, in the shape of a fan (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is the decorative highlight of the Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse.
Visiting
The Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse stands northwest of the main house, so the exterior is seen from within the grounds. The Minano Tourism Association asks visitors to Koshundo to get in touch in advance. No official information on access to the storehouse interior was found.
Q&A
- When was the Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse built?
- In 1934; it was moved to its present site in 1963 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was kept in the storehouse?
- The clinic's medical equipment and the family's household goods.
- What should I look for on the Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse?
- The double doors with four plaster steps, the windows with three, and the fan-shaped plaster relief on the north gable.
- Can I go inside the storehouse?
- No official information on interior access was found; visitors to Koshundo are asked to get in touch in advance.
- When was the Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse registered?
- On February 4, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse (旧壺春堂醫院土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1168-1 Hara, Minano-machi, Chichibu-gun, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/02/04 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 28 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Open as a memorial house (closed Fridays; contact in advance) |
References
- Former Koshundo Clinic Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013509
- Introducing Koshundo (Minano Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://www.minano.gr.jp/2023/08/29/12788/
Last verified: 2026.10.20
