What Is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse (旧石橋家住宅中蔵, Kyū Ishibashi-ke Jūtaku Naka-gura) is a late Meiji-period storehouse built between 1898 and 1912 in Serimachi, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2013. It is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 34 square metres.
It stands behind the East Main House, immediately west of the East Storehouse, with its ridge running north to south. From its northwest corner the North Wall runs across to the West Storehouse, so the Middle Storehouse is the link between the storehouses on the east and west sides of the rear yard.
Why It Was Registered: Character at the Back of the House
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse has a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) and is entered through its south-facing gable end. Its walls are white plaster over a base of vertical boards. A single open lean-to roof, shared with the East Storehouse, shelters the doors of both buildings along their south fronts.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the East Storehouse, it adds character to the composition of the residence. It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. A rear yard of storehouses stitched together by walls, each registered on its own, is what gives the back of the Former Ishibashi Family Residence its shape.
Curved Beams Under the Ridge
The clue that tells the Middle Storehouse from its twin lies inside the roof. According to the national record, its ridge beam, the timber running along the very top of the roof, is carried on curved beams rather than on straight sawn members.
Putting naturally bent timber to work as beams is a familiar technique in traditional Japanese roof framing (Wagoya). Next door, the East Storehouse uses a Western-style frame of triangulated members. The two buildings share nearly the same size and the same wall finish, yet under their roofs they follow different logics. The Middle Storehouse covers 34 square metres and the East Storehouse 35 square metres.
The North Wall that leaves the storehouse's northwest corner is a tall wall 3.5 metres high and 8.2 metres long, with a doorway one bay wide toward its east end, hung with a wooden door. Its north face is boarded high up, and above that the wall is finished in intermediate plaster and pierced by windows in the rounded mokko (quince-flower) shape, a different finish from the storehouse's white plaster.
Seeing the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse sits at the back of the plot, and neither the building nor the grounds around it are open to the public. The main houses block the view from the street, and the curved beams are inside the roof.
The exterior can be seen in the photo gallery on the Agency for Cultural Affairs database page. Directions and viewing conditions for the whole compound are on the Former Ishibashi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse built and registered?
- It dates from the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 21, 2013.
- What is distinctive about the roof frame of the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- Curved beams carry its ridge beam. The East Storehouse next door uses a Western-style triangulated frame instead.
- Where is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse within the compound?
- Behind the East Main House, just west of the East Storehouse. The North Wall links its northwest corner with the West Storehouse.
- Can visitors see the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- The building and grounds are closed, and it is hard to see from the street. Photographs on the national database show the exterior.
- Where is the entrance of the Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- In the south-facing gable end, under the open lean-to roof it shares with the East Storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse (旧石橋家住宅中蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 11 Serimachi, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2013 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 34 square metres |
| Owner | Hikone City |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside the grounds; exterior hard to see) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009631
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/206717
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009630
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence North Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009637
- Hikone Tourism Association: Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Main House
- https://www.hikoneshi.com/sightseeing/article/kyu-ishibashike-jutaku-nakashuoku
Last verified: 2026.09.25
