The Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse
The Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse (大谷家住宅米蔵, Ōtani-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a two-story reinforced-concrete storehouse in Inaricho, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, built in 1931 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.
It stands north of the main lot across the road, at 2-4-34 Inaricho. It faces south, with a gabled roof whose long side forms the front, covered in pantiles. The building area is 80 square metres.
Why the Rice Storehouse Was Registered
The walls are rendered in mortar scored with joints so that they read as masonry. The roof frame above is timber, a King post truss carrying the purlins and rafters.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out that combination, a concrete shell under a wooden Western-style roof, as a record of the mixed construction of the period. It was registered as a building that sets a standard for design.
What to Look For
The Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse is the only reinforced-concrete building among the nine. The Main House, finished the same year, is an exercise in traditional carpentry; for the rice store, the family chose the new material.
On the outside, look at the joint lines. Cut into the mortar, they throw shadows like the seams of stacked stone blocks and make a concrete box look like a solid masonry building. Topping it with a Japanese pantile roof is a very early Showa kind of hybrid.
Visiting the Rice Storehouse
The Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse is privately owned and the interior is not open.
It faces south, with a road between it and the main lot, so that road is where any view of the exterior would be from. It is a residential area; keep any stop brief. Directions to the estate are on the Otani Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- How is the Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story reinforced-concrete building with a timber king-post truss roof and pantiles. The mortar walls are scored to look like stone.
- Where is the Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- Across the road to the north of the main lot, at 2-4-34 Inaricho, Fukaya City.
- Can you visit the Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and the interior is closed; any view of the exterior is from the road on its south side.
- When was the Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1931, the same year as the Main House. It was registered in 2004.
- What are the walls of the Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse like?
- They are rendered in mortar scored with joints so that they look like stacked stone.
Basic Information
| Name | Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-4-34 Inaricho, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/2/17 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 80 square metres |
| Owner | Otani Shoji Limited Partnership |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior seen only from the road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Otani Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003842
- Fukaya City: Nationally Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fukaya.saitama.jp/rekishi_bunkazai/shinobunkazai/1391665872242.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
