What the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse is
The Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse (藤田家住宅内蔵, Fujita-ke Jūtaku Uchigura) is a two-story dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse from the early Meiji period in Gotsucho, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 8, 2009.
Uchigura means an inner storehouse, and the name fits. The Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse stands east of the main house, behind it as seen from Honmachi-dori, and a covered corridor joins it to the zashiki reception rooms. Unlike the three storehouses across the street, it could be reached without stepping outside. Its building area is 47 square meters; the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives its date range as 1868 to 1911.
A plan that steps with the lot
The ridge of the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse runs north to south, but the building is not a simple box. Its southern and northern halves are offset to follow the shape of the lot, and the interior is split into two rooms along the same line. From outside, the walls and the ridge jog partway along.
The gabled kirizuma-zukuri roof is laid with red Sekishu tiles, and the walls are finished in white shikkui plaster, the same pairing found on every storehouse of the estate. The plan is irregular; the finish is not.
Bamboo sheathing laid down the slope
The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the roof structure as what sets the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse apart. Sloping nobori-bari rafter beams follow the pitch of the roof; horizontal members are laid across them; and on top, the sheathing that carries the tiles is made of bamboo running in the direction of the slope. The commentary calls this an unusual technique.
Roof sheathing is normally boarded. Here the bamboo runs up the slope toward the ridge, in line with the rain that runs off the tiles, and the cross members catch it at intervals. No record explains why the builders chose this arrangement, but using a readily available material and supporting it this way was clearly a deliberate call by whoever framed the building.
Why the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse was registered
The Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The layered roof of rafter beams, cross members and bamboo sheathing would be hard to recreate with the same materials and labor. Among the eight Fujita buildings, only this one and the north storehouse were registered on that ground, and in both cases the roof framing is the reason.
The two storehouses make an instructive pair. The north storehouse impresses with heavy beams stacked in three tiers; the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse relies instead on the choice and direction of a light material.
Visiting the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse
The Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse stands inside the grounds of a private home, east of the main house. No official information about public access could be found, and the bamboo-sheathed roof space is inside the building, so it cannot be seen.
From Honmachi-dori the storehouse is hidden behind the main house, so expect to see little or nothing of it from the street. Please stay off the property and view the estate only from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- How old is the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- It dates from the early Meiji period; the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives 1868 to 1911. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 8, 2009.
- What does "uchigura" in the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse mean?
- It means an inner storehouse. The Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse stands east of the main house and is joined to the reception rooms by a covered corridor.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- Horizontal members rest on sloping rafter beams, and bamboo sheathing is laid on them in the direction of the slope. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes this as an unusual technique.
- Can visitors see the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- Not really. It is on private property behind the main house and is hard to see from the street.
- What shape is the Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- Its ridge runs north to south, but the southern and northern halves are offset to fit the lot, with two rooms inside. The building area is 47 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse (藤田家住宅内蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 328 Gotsucho, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 47 square meters |
| Owner | Private (no owner name listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (behind the main house, hard to see from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007537
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fujita Family Residence North Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007540
- Tenryo Gotsu Honmachi Iraka Kaido (Gotsu City)
- https://www.city.gotsu.lg.jp/soshiki/4/4657.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
