What Is the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse?
The Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse (川崎光雄家住宅南蔵, Kawasaki Mitsuo-ke Jūtaku Minamigura) is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled storehouse built around 1912 on the Kawasaki family estate beside the old Tōkaidō highway in Tehara, Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 21 April 1998. Its building area of 30 square meters is almost twice that of the North Storehouse (17 square meters), to which it is joined.
The roof is tiled. Of the estate's two storehouses, this is the larger.
Windows on the West Face
The Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse is built the same way as the North Storehouse. The feature the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is its west face, where a ground-floor window sits under a small Hisashi canopy and two windows open on the upper floor.
Storehouse windows were usually kept few, since every opening was a weak point in a fire. A canopy over a lower window keeps rain off the opening and the plaster around it, which helps an earthen wall last.
Bigger, Yet Lower
According to the official commentary, the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse is larger than the North Storehouse but keeps its ridge slightly lower, a restraint that marks its standing as a storehouse. It wins on floor area and gives way on height.
On a family estate the main house came first, and outbuildings were expected to defer to it. The phrase about the storehouse's standing reads as a reference to that pecking order. A bigger storehouse might be expected to rise higher; this one was deliberately held down, and that restraint is the thing to notice.
A Building for the Streetscape
The Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse was registered under number 25-0035 for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The commentary calls it a key element of the estate and important to the streetscape as well.
Of the three registered buildings, it is the only one whose official description explicitly credits it with shaping the view from the street. With the main house pulled back from the old highway, the South Storehouse is the one given that role.
Visiting the South Storehouse
The Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse stands inside a private estate, and its interior is not open to the public. Please stay off the property and view it only from the public road.
The view changes with your position, but three details identify it: the canopied window on the ground floor of the west face, the pair of upper-floor windows above it, and a ridge set a little lower than that of the neighboring North Storehouse.
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Q&A
- What kind of building is the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse?
- A 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof. With a building area of 30 square meters, it is the larger of the estate's two storehouses.
- When was the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse built?
- Around 1912, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- What should I look for on the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse?
- The west face has a canopied window on the ground floor and two windows on the upper floor. The ridge is also kept slightly lower than that of the smaller North Storehouse.
- Why is the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 21 April 1998 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The official commentary calls it a key part of the estate and important to the streetscape.
- Can I visit the Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse?
- The interior is closed because it stands on a private estate. The exterior can only be viewed from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse (川崎光雄家住宅南蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-4-28 Tehara, Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 25-0035 |
| Year Designated | Registered 21 April 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, building area 30 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (exterior from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000543
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence North Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000542
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kawasaki Mitsuo Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/180453
- Designated, Selected and Registered Cultural Properties in Ritto (Ritto City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.ritto.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/sports_bunka/bunkazai/9692.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
