What Is the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse?
The Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse (不破家住宅土蔵, Fuwa-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is an 1853 earthen-walled storehouse on the Fuwa family estate along the old Nakasendō highway in Takamiya-cho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 39 square meters.
It stands behind the main house to the east, its ridge running north to south, and measures 7.9 meters by 5.0 meters.
Built four years before the main house of 1857, the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse is the oldest of the four registered structures on the estate.
Registered as Hard to Reproduce
Three of the four Fuwa family structures were registered for their contribution to the landscape. The Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse alone was registered, under number 25-0381, as a building that would not be easy to reproduce, one of the criteria for Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out for its plasterwork. Walls built up in layers of clay and Shikkui lime plaster, with ornament modeled by trowel, demand a level of time and skill that is difficult to assemble today, and that is what the criterion recognizes.
A Plaster Dragon and Sealed Walls
The entrance of the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse is at the south end of its west side, sheltered by a Geya lean-to roof. The door frame is decorated with a dragon in Kote-e, relief pictures built up from plaster with a trowel, a craft in which the plasterer shapes a three-dimensional image directly on the wall.
The outer walls are finished in plaster, which is carried right up to the tips of the eaves. With no timber left exposed, the building is sealed in clay and plaster against fire.
A Separate Roof and Carved Beam Ends
The Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse has an Okiyane, a separately framed roof set on top of the sealed plaster body of the storehouse. It is a gable roof in the Kirizuma-zukuri form, covered with Sangawara-buki pantiles.
The ends of the sloping Nobori-bari rafters that carry this roof are carved with decorative patterns. Among all the white plaster they are one of the few places where carved timber shows, and the contrast between the sealed eaves and the projecting beam ends is the detail to look for.
Visiting the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse
The Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse stands deep inside a private property, behind the main house, and is hidden from the old Nakasendō. The interior is closed, and we found no announced opportunity to see the dragon doorway up close.
Since the grounds cannot be entered, viewing is limited to the public road, where the main house and gate are what you will see. Visitors should expect to see little or nothing of the storehouse itself.
Q&A
- When was the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In 1853, according to the national database, four years before the main house of 1857.
- Why is the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 29 November 2016, as number 25-0381, as a building that would not be easy to reproduce. Its plasterwork is what the Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights.
- What does the plaster relief on the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse show?
- A dragon, modeled in plaster on the frame of the west-side door.
- How big is the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse?
- 7.9 meters by 5.0 meters, two storeys, with a building area of 39 square meters.
- Can I see the Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse?
- It stands inside private grounds behind the main house and the interior is closed. From the old Nakasendō it is largely hidden.
Basic Information
| Name | Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse (不破家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2351 Takamiya-cho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 25-0381 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, building area 39 square meters, 7.9 meters by 5.0 meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (largely hidden from the old Nakasendō) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011332
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fuwa Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/299179
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Fuwa Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011331
Last verified: 2026.09.28
