Shojukan Rice Storehouse
Shojukan Rice Storehouse, northwest of the main house on a merchant estate in Tatsutachō, Gokashō, Higashiōmi City, Shiga Prefecture, is a clay-walled grain store raised in 1860 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 February 2021. It rises two storeys in Dozo-zukuri construction under tile and covers 39 square metres.
Its walls are finished unlike any other storehouse here. The ground floor is clad in vertical boarding and the upper floor in Shikkui lime plaster, so the material changes halfway up. The plan runs four bays by two and a half under a Kirizuma-zukuri roof set north to south, tiled in Sangawara-buki pantiles on a separate outer frame.
Why Board the Lower Wall
A mud storehouse is normally plastered from ground to eaves. The boarding on the lower storey of Shojukan Rice Storehouse is protection rather than decoration. The base of a wall takes constant splash-back, and water thrown up from the ground eats into lime plaster where it lands. Boarding means only boards need replacing. Skirting a storehouse this way is common across the eastern side of Lake Biwa.
As the name says, this building held rice. Rice is heavy. Stacking bales on the upper floor of a two-storey store calls for floor strength, and keeping them dry calls for air movement. The elongated plan, four bays long against two and a half deep, also suits bales laid out in rows.
The register describes Shojukan Rice Storehouse as one of the five mud storehouses on the site and places it within the estate of an Ōmi merchant's family seat. That count of five appears in the register text only under this entry, which is where the storehouses are treated as a group.
What to Look For
Find the line where boarding meets plaster. A drip detail finishes the top edge of the boards so that water is thrown clear at that point. The height of the line was arrived at by observing how far splash-back actually reaches.
The boards themselves differ in colour. Damaged ones have been replaced as they failed, so new timber sits beside old on the same wall. The exterior of Shojukan Rice Storehouse is a visible record of its own maintenance.
Then look along the row. The north storehouse is small and plastered all over; the new storehouse is deep and plastered all over. Only the rice storehouse wears a boarded skirt. Three answers to the same problem stand in one line on one estate.
Visiting
Shojukan Rice Storehouse occupies the northern part of the western edge, visible from the area reached by passing through the mizuya and out to the west. Access to the inside is not guaranteed and varies with the day's arrangements at the Merchant Museum, Kyōrinbō Betsuin, which admits visitors on spring and autumn weekends and public holidays.
Cameras are welcome. To bring out the boarding, an oblique angle brings out the overlap and the joints better than shooting square to the wall. Travel directions and the admission charge appear on the Shojukan page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shiga
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shojukan Rice Storehouse
- [ Hikone Castle & Lake Biwa Cruise Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was Shojukan Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1860, five years before the new storehouse of 1865.
- Why is the lower storey of Shojukan Rice Storehouse boarded?
- To shield the lime plaster from rain splashing up off the ground. Boards can be swapped out individually, which also makes upkeep simpler.
- How does Shojukan Rice Storehouse differ from the other storehouses?
- It is the only one of the five whose walls change material partway up, with vertical boarding below and lime plaster above.
- How large is Shojukan Rice Storehouse?
- The building area is 39 square metres, four bays by two and a half.
- Where can Shojukan Rice Storehouse be seen from?
- From the western edge of the site. Coming out through the mizuya, it appears alongside the north storehouse and the new storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Shojukan Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 396-1 Motoyashiki, Tatsutacho, Gokasho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 4 February 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 39 square metres |
| Owner | Private (not disclosed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Open in limited spring and autumn seasons (Merchant Museum, Kyorinbo Betsuin) |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database: Shojukan Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013578
- Merchant Museum, Kyorinbo Betsuin (official temple website)
- https://kyourinbo.jimdofree.com/home/kyorinbo-betsuin-merchant-museum/
Last verified: 2026.09.13
