What Is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse?
The Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse (加藤家住宅（旧布惣）二之蔵, Katō-ke Jūtaku Kyū Nunosō Ninokura) is a late Edo period (1830 to 1868) earthen-walled storehouse behind the main house of the former Nunoso hemp-cloth merchant in Takamiya-cho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 March 2013. A two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof, it covers just 15 square meters, the smallest of the three registered storehouses.
It measures 3.8 meters along the ridge and 4.0 meters deep, so it is slightly deeper than it is long. It faces south, with its door on that side, and tucks in right behind the north end of the main house, well back from the Nakasendo highway.
Small but Carefully Made
The Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse was registered under number 25-0326 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as small yet carefully built, and says that together with the main house and the other two storehouses it preserves the traditional layout of a townhouse property.
A storehouse hidden from the street might seem an odd candidate for a landscape criterion. The point is that a merchant's townhouse was never just its facade: the stores of various sizes behind the shop were part of the establishment, and together they show how large the Nunoso business was.
Eaves That Show Their Beams
The detail to look for on the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse is the eaves. They are finished in nurigome, sealed in plaster for fire protection, but the plaster follows the ends of the purlins that carry the roof, so each timber still shows its shape through the coating.
Another way to seal a storehouse's eaves is to bury the purlin ends inside a thick band of plaster. The Third Storehouse at the back of the same lot takes that Hachimaki approach, so the two stores show two different solutions to the same problem. On the Second Storehouse the rhythm of the frame stays visible, giving a small building a finely drawn edge.
At 15 square meters the footprint equals roughly nine tatami mats. That scale suggests household goods or records rather than bulk stock, though none of the sources consulted records what it held.
Visiting the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse
No opening of the interior of the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse could be found on the websites of Hikone City or the Hikone Tourist Association. Standing behind the main house, it is largely hidden from the Nakasendo.
From the street you can see the main house and the First Storehouse, but a close look at these plastered eaves would require a special opening of the property. Please do not enter the grounds.
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Q&A
- Where does the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse stand?
- Behind the north end of the main house, facing south, in the interior of the lot away from the Nakasendo.
- How large is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse 3.8 meters by 4.0 meters, with a building area of 15 square meters, the smallest of the three registered storehouses.
- What is distinctive about the eaves of the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse?
- They are sealed in plaster while still expressing the shape of each purlin end.
- When did the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 29 March 2013, as registration number 25-0326.
- Can I see the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse?
- No interior opening could be confirmed, and because it stands behind the main house it is hardly visible from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse (加藤家住宅（旧布惣）二之蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1121-1 Takamiya-cho (and other lots), Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 25-0326 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 March 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 3.8 meters by 4.0 meters, building area 15 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No interior opening announced (at the back of the lot, barely visible from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009502
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Second Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/239915
Last verified: 2026.09.28
