What Is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse?
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse (旧石橋家住宅西蔵, Kyū Ishibashi-ke Jūtaku Nishi-kura) is an early Meiji-period storehouse built between 1868 and 1882 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 gabled pantile roof, and its main body measures 6 metres by 4 metres.
It occupies the northwest corner of the plot, behind the Middle Main House. Its ridge runs east to west, at right angles to the East and Middle Storehouses. With a recorded building area of 65 square metres, it is the largest of the compound's four storehouses.
Why It Was Registered: Anchoring the Corner of the Plot
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse is entered through its east gable, which is sheltered by a lean-to roof (Geya). The walls are white plaster with vertical boarding at the base. Small windows open in the upper storey of both gables, each topped by a little canopy carried on a timber frame.
The northwest corner is where the outline of the property turns. Here the West Wall, 3.4 metres high and 28 metres long, bends around the corner, while the North Wall leaves the storehouse's northeast corner and runs east to the Middle Storehouse. A storehouse and two tall walls meet at this one corner and close off the back of the residence. The storehouse was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation.
Rafter Beams and Canopied Windows
According to the national record, the roof is framed with noboribari, beams laid on the slope of the roof rather than horizontally.
The small gable windows give an otherwise plain storehouse a touch of expression: against the white plaster, each timber-framed canopy juts out as one of the few projecting details on the building. Compare the three storehouses whose framing is recorded and each uses a different system: Western-style framing in the late Meiji East Storehouse, curved beams in the Middle Storehouse, and sloping beams here in the older West Storehouse.
One figure does not quite add up. A main body of 6 by 4 metres gives 24 square metres, well short of the recorded building area of 65 square metres. The difference probably includes the lean-to on the east side and other attached parts, but the published records do not break the figure down.
Seeing the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse stands at the back of the plot, and neither the building nor the grounds are open to the public. From the street it is hidden behind the Middle and West Main Houses.
The photo gallery on the Agency for Cultural Affairs database page shows the exterior, including the gable windows and their canopies. 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 West Storehouse built and registered?
- It dates from the early Meiji period, between 1868 and 1882, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 21, 2013.
- How large is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The 2-storey main body measures 6 metres by 4 metres. Its recorded building area is 65 square metres, the largest of the compound's four storehouses.
- How is the roof of the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse framed?
- With sloping beams (noboribari) laid along the pitch of the roof. The East Storehouse uses Western framing and the Middle Storehouse curved beams.
- Can I see the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The building and grounds are closed, and it is hard to see from the street. Photographs on the national database show the exterior.
- What stands around the Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The West Wall turns around the northwest corner of the plot, the North Wall links the storehouse with the Middle Storehouse, and the Middle Main House stands to the south.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse (旧石橋家住宅西蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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, 6 m by 4 m, building area 65 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 West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009632
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/229408
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence West Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009636
- 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
