What the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse Is
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse (旧長島家住宅前蔵, Kyū Nagashima-ke Jūtaku Maegura) is a stone storehouse built in 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 runs along the east edge of the property between the main house and the rice storehouse, facing west.
It is a two-story Oya stone building with a tiled gable roof carried on trusses. At 59 square meters it is the largest of the estate's three stone storehouses, and its plan stretches out along the ridge. Lean-to roofs are attached on its front and one side.
Of the three stone storehouses, it is the only one the Agency for Cultural Affairs dates to a firm year, 1920, rather than an approximate one. It was renovated in 1992 and now serves as a gallery of the Nagashima Memorial Museum.
Why the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the official description credits it with shaping the view inside the estate, along the way from the front gate to the main house.
Walk in through the gate toward the house and a long wall of stone runs along your right. That is the front storehouse. Where the rice storehouse gives the estate its outward face on the south, this one works on the inside, leading visitors up to the main house.
Its name, maegura or front storehouse, can be read as describing its place in front of the main house, and it pairs naturally with the rear storehouse behind it. The buildings are named for where they stand.
What to Look For at the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse
The front of the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse is its west side, where the ground floor has two entrances, each with an iron door. Two doors on a single storehouse reflect both its size and how it was meant to be used. Inside is one undivided room.
Outside, look at how the timber lean-tos meet the stone. They add eaves and shadow to what would otherwise be a hard stone box, and soften the walk toward the main house.
Today it holds changing displays from Kyōsuke Nagashima's collection. The museum rotates about 50 works by season in its converted storehouse galleries, including Japanese-style and Western-style paintings, calligraphy and swords. While you look at them, you also get a sense of the volume and ceiling height inside a stone storehouse.
Visiting the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse is open as a gallery on museum opening days and can be entered with an admission ticket. Because the display changes with the seasons, the inside looks different from one visit to the next. Ask at reception about photography in the gallery.
For the exterior, stand on the approach between the gate and the main house and look east at its west front, the same view as the registration photograph. With the rice storehouse to the south and the main house to the north, the gaps between the three show how it occupies the east side of the estate.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1920. It was renovated in 1992.
- Can I go inside the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse?
- Yes. It is used as a gallery of the Nagashima Memorial Museum and can be entered on opening days with an admission ticket.
- When was the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, as contributing to the historic landscape.
- How is the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story Oya stone building with a tiled gable roof on trusses, lean-to roofs on the front and side, and two iron-doored entrances on the ground floor of its west face.
- How does the Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse differ from the other stone storehouses?
- All three are two-story Oya stone buildings, but the front storehouse is the largest at 59 square meters, has lean-to roofs and two entrances, and faces the approach from the gate to the main house.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nagashima Family Residence Front 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 59 square meters |
| Owner | Nagashima Memorial Foundation |
| Public Access | Open as a gallery of the Nagashima Memorial Museum (admission charged) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Nagashima Family Residence Front Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014740
- 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: About the foundation and museum (Japanese)
- https://nagashimakinenkan.com/about.html
- Nagashima Memorial Museum: Hours, admission and access (Japanese)
- https://nagashimakinenkan.com/guide.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
