A Storehouse Joined to the House
The Nomura Family Residence Storehouse (野村家住宅土蔵) is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1919 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 storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 52 square metres; registration number 25-0227.
A Two-Storey Store off the House
The Nomura Family Residence Storehouse is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse 3 and a half by 2 and a half bays (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A covered entry 2 bays square in front of its door links it to the northwest corner of the main house, so the store can be reached directly from the house. It dates from 1919, the same year as the main house.
The storehouse sits on a tall base of cut granite (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Lifting the floor clear of the ground keeps damp away from what is stored inside, and here the base is built with dressed stone rather than rubble.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the careful workmanship: even the purlins and rafters of the separate outer roof are sealed in clay, and the plaster around the doorway and windows carries relief ornament. It registered the Nomura Family Residence Storehouse as a model of design, and describes it as indispensable to the layout of the homestead.
What to Look For
Look for the outer roof and the plasterwork at the door. The outer roof is set on top of the clay-walled body as a separate structure, and here even its purlins and rafters are plastered in. Around the doorway and windows, the plaster carries relief ornament that frames each opening.
Do not miss the granite base either: its dressed stones and height lift the whole Nomura Family Residence Storehouse a step above the ground.
Visiting
The Nomura Family Residence Storehouse is joined to the northwest of the main house, and it is not confirmed how much of it can be seen from the road. No official information on interior visits was found; please view it only from the road.
Q&A
- When was the Nomura Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In 1919 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is the Nomura Family Residence Storehouse connected to the house?
- Through a covered entry 2 bays square that joins it to the northwest of the main house.
- What should I look for?
- The plastered outer roof, the relief ornament around the door and windows, and the tall granite base.
- Can I visit the Nomura Family Residence Storehouse?
- No official information on interior visits was found.
- When was the Nomura Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On July 1, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nomura Family Residence Storehouse (野村家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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, 52 m², 3 and a half by 2 and a half bays |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior from the road) |
References
- Nomura Family Residence Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003437
- Nomura Family Residence Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/116517
Last verified: 2026.10.19
