A Storehouse Named After a Tree
Bundoya Haze Storehouse (分銅屋はぜ蔵, also written Bundōya Haze-gura) is a single-storey earthen storehouse at Ushiroda, Tsuwano, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period between 1898 and 1911, and entered on Japan's national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on September 10, 2010.
It occupies the far eastern end of the Bundoya lot, the deepest point of a plot that runs back from Honmachi street. At 13 metres along the ridge and 5.9 metres across, covering 83 square metres, it is the largest of the four registered buildings on the site and also the youngest. The ridge runs east to west, the gabled roof carries pantiles, and a canopy 4.2 metres wide and 1.3 metres deep projects on the south side.
Haze is the Japanese wax tree, Toxicodendron succedaneum, and its berries are the raw material for mokuro, the vegetable wax known in export markets as Japan wax. The Agency for Cultural Affairs record does not state what was kept inside, but the name and the family's trade point the same way. Tsuwano's tourism association describes Bundoya as one of the "eight houses" serving the Tsuwano domain, making and selling bintsuke hair pomade, Japanese candles, rapeseed oil and incense since the early Edo period. Wax berries feed straight into two of those four products.
Wax, Candles and Pomade
Japan wax is not beeswax and not paraffin. It is pressed from the outer flesh of wax-tree berries, and it melts at a low temperature, which makes it awkward to work but excellent for certain purposes. Traditional Japanese candles burn with a broad, soft, wavering flame quite unlike a Western wick candle. The same wax stiffened the pomade that held elaborate hairstyles in place, and sumo wrestlers still use a version of it today. Wax trees were planted as a cash crop across western Japan through the Edo period, and many domains encouraged the trade.
The building next door confirms the chain. Registered on the same day as the mat and pomade storehouse, number 32-0129, it names the pomade explicitly. Berries came in and were held at the far end of the lot; the products went out through the shop at the street end. Four buildings in a row preserve the sequence of a manufacturing business, which is a rarer thing to find intact than any single handsome facade.
The registration itself was made under the second of Japan's three registration criteria, contribution to the historic landscape of the country, with the number 32-0130. Since 2013 the surrounding streets have also been protected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, roughly 11.1 hectares of samurai and merchant quarters selected on August 7 of that year.
Three Colours, and How to Visit
The official commentary ends on an unusual note for a government database. It remarks that the green of the doors sets off the red tile and the white plaster.
That is worth unpacking, because it is the one thing about this building a visitor would notice first. Tsuwano roofs are covered in Sekishu tile from the Iwami district, fired with an iron glaze that comes out a deep russet red rather than the grey of most Japanese roofs. Against that, the walls are white lime plaster. And the windows are closed by copper shutters, which have weathered to verdigris. Red, white and green, all of them the natural colour of the material rather than paint.
The copper was not chosen for the colour. Metal shutters on a storehouse window are a fire measure, sealing the openings when embers are flying. The verdigris came later, on its own.
Other details separate this storehouse from its older neighbour nearer the house. The base here is stone-piled rather than cut ashlar, and the lower wall is faced with vertical boarding rather than horizontal. Both are storehouses, both are plastered white, and neither was built to the same specification.
Visiting takes some planning. The storehouse stands at the back of a private lot and cannot be seen from the road. Part of the property, including the inner garden, is shown by advance reservation, and a sencha tea experience is offered on the same terms, so booking is the only reliable way to see beyond the shopfront. The shop can be reached on 0856-72-0021 and the Tsuwano Tourism Association on 0856-72-1771 between 9:00 and 17:00; opening hours and closing days are not published online. The site is about six minutes on foot from JR Tsuwano Station on the Yamaguchi Line, and parking is available.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Bundoya Hazekura
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- What does the name Bundoya Haze Storehouse mean?
- Haze is the Japanese wax tree, whose berries yield the vegetable wax used for traditional candles and hair pomade. The Bundoya family traded in both, so the name indicates what the building held, though the official record does not describe the contents.
- When was Bundoya Haze Storehouse built and registered?
- Construction is dated to the late Meiji period, 1898 to 1911, which makes it the newest of the four registered Bundoya buildings. It was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010, under number 32-0130.
- Why are the windows of Bundoya Haze Storehouse fitted with copper doors?
- Metal shutters seal a storehouse against flying embers, the same reasoning that produced the thick earthen walls. The green tone comes from verdigris formed by weathering, and the official record notes how it plays against the red tile and white plaster.
- Can Bundoya Haze Storehouse be seen by visitors?
- Not from the street. It stands at the eastern end of a private lot behind the shop. Part of the site is shown by advance reservation, so contact the shop on 0856-72-0021 before your visit.
- How large is Bundoya Haze Storehouse compared with the other storehouses?
- It is the largest, at 83 square metres and 13 metres along the ridge. The mat and pomade storehouse covers 52 square metres and the earthen storehouse nearest the main house 38 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Bundoya Haze Storehouse (分銅屋はぜ蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 190 Honmachi-ro, Ushiroda, Tsuwano, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 32-0130 |
| Year Designated | September 10, 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 83 sq m; 13 m along the ridge by 5.9 m across; earthen-wall construction, single storey, tiled roof |
| Owner | Not published in the national database; part of the Bundoya property |
| Public Access | Not visible from the street. Part of the site shown by advance reservation. Tel. 0856-72-0021 |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Bundoya Haze Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008338
- Cultural Heritage Online: Bundoya Haze Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/217720
- Tsuwano Tourism Association: Bundoya
- https://tsuwano-kanko.net/info/fundoya/
- Tsuwano Town: Tsuwano Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/www/contents/1464654399594/index.html
- Japan Heritage Portal, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Tsuwano Then and Now
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/special/meguri/tsuwano/
Last verified: 2026.08.04