A Small Store Built for Rice
The Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse (野村家住宅米蔵) is a rice storehouse of the late Taisho era in Ozawa-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 1, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey earthen-walled building with a tiled roof and a building area of 29 square metres; registration number 25-0228.
A Small Store by the Road
The Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse stands in front of the main house at the southeast corner of the plot, right on the road (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a gabled two-storey building 3 by 2 bays, and at 29 square metres it is the smallest of the three buildings on the property.
Inside, the ground floor is split into two rooms: an anteroom at the front and, behind it, a chamber for storing rice (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The plan was shaped around that single purpose.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design: a small storehouse, but one with a distinctive form. That form lies in the rice chamber, which is closed off with thick plastered walls and has a ceiling set a step higher, with a deep layer of clay laid on top (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The clay in walls and ceiling helps steady temperature and humidity inside, which is what stored rice needs.
What to Look For
Because it stands right on the road, the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse is the easiest of the buildings to see from outside. Its gabled form, two storeys on a small footprint, sits in front of the main house and shapes the face the homestead shows to the street.
The thick-walled rice chamber and the clay-topped ceiling are inside and cannot be seen. From the road, notice instead how the store is pushed into the corner of the plot, ahead of the main house.
Visiting
No official information on interior visits to the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse was found. If you stop on the road to look, keep clear of traffic.
Q&A
- When was the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- In the late Taisho era (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is inside the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- An anteroom at the front and a rice chamber behind it on the ground floor.
- How does the rice storehouse protect its rice?
- The rice chamber has thick plastered walls and a raised ceiling covered with a deep layer of clay to steady temperature and humidity.
- Can I see the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- It stands on the road at the southeast corner of the plot, so the exterior can be seen from the road; no interior visits are announced.
- When was the Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered?
- On July 1, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse (野村家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 656 Ozawa-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/07/01 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen-walled, tiled roof, 29 m², 3 by 2 bays |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior from the road) |
References
- Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003438
- Nomura Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/139208
Last verified: 2026.10.19
