What the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse Is
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse (旧長島家住宅米蔵, Kyū Nagashima-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a stone storehouse built around 1920 at the former headman's estate in Koyatsubayashi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024. It occupies the southeast corner of the property, standing beside the front gate with a short length of wall between them.
It is a two-story building of Oya stone, a soft volcanic tuff, under a tiled gable roof, with a building area of 50 square meters. It was renovated around 1985. As its name says, it was built to hold the family's rice.
Inside is a single undivided room. The roof is carried on timber trusses, so a thoroughly Japanese gable conceals a Western-style triangulated frame.
Why the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The official description sees it as the storehouse that, with the front gate and the nagayabei, forms the southern face of the estate.
Along that southern edge the sequence from east to west is rice storehouse, gate, nagayabei. The storehouse is the bulkiest of the three and anchors the east end: after the white wall of the range and the timber gate, a two-story wall of stone rises and gives the whole front its weight.
Placing a Taisho stone storehouse beside an Edo gate and range also lets the facade show how the estate was reworked over roughly a century.
What to Look For at the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse
Notice which way the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse opens. Its ground-floor entrance is on the north side, facing into the estate. The south side, facing out, has only two windows, both on the upper floor. The door and the windows each have iron shutters.
Showing only high windows to the outside and admitting people only from within is exactly what a store for harvested rice needs. From the south you see a spare composition: a plain wall of Oya stone with two iron-shuttered windows near the top.
Look closely at the stone itself. The cut blocks have a fine, pitted texture and uneven color that change with the light. The Agency for Cultural Affairs also photographed the timber framing in the roof space, a sign that the trusses were considered one of the building's notable features.
Visiting the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse stands on the Nagashima Memorial Museum grounds and can be seen from outside on opening days. The official guide does not say whether its interior is open, so ask at reception.
The south side, where the registration photograph was taken, is the storehouse's public face. Walk into the estate to see the entrance on the north, and compare the two sides to understand how the building was meant to be used.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1920. It was renovated around 1985.
- What is the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse made of?
- Its walls are built of Oya stone. It has two stories and a tiled gable roof carried on timber trusses.
- When was the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, as contributing to the historic landscape.
- Where is the entrance to the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- On the north side of the ground floor, facing into the estate. The south side has two upper-floor windows, and both door and windows have iron shutters.
- What is the best view of the Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- From the south, where it stands next to the front gate. Walk inside the estate to see the entrance on the north side.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1022 Ozakai, Koyatsubayashi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 6, 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two stories, stone; building area 50 square meters |
| Owner | Nagashima Memorial Foundation |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable on the Nagashima Memorial Museum grounds (admission charged); interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Nagashima Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014739
- Kumagaya City: Eight structures of the Former Nagashima Family Residence registered (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kumagaya.lg.jp/about/soshiki/kyoiku/kounanbunkazaicenter/oshirase/ta22160120240.html
- Saitama Prefecture: New Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kumagaya City (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/f2216/news/page/news2023112402.html
- Nagashima Memorial Museum: Hours, admission and access (Japanese)
- https://nagashimakinenkan.com/guide.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
