What the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen is
The Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen (藤田家住宅新蔵及び料理場, Fujita-ke Jūtaku Shingura oyobi Ryōriba) is a two-story building of the early Meiji and early Taisho periods in Gotsucho, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 8, 2009.
It joins an earthen dozo-zukuri storehouse, the shingura or "new storehouse," to a timber kitchen wing, and covers 99 square meters. The Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen holds the northeast corner of the lot east of Honmachi-dori: the storehouse runs north to south, and the kitchen meets it at a right angle, giving the whole an L-like shape.
A storehouse and a kitchen under one roof
Both parts have gabled kirizuma-zukuri roofs of red Sekishu tiles. The storehouse has two stories, with shikkui plaster walls above a koshiita skirt of boards. The kitchen is finished the same way except on its south face, which is built shinkabe style with the posts left visible.
The kitchen held the cooking area on the ground floor and two six-mat rooms above. A fireproof, plaster-sealed store and a room where fires burned daily were combined in one building of the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen, and the builders varied the wall finish to suit each.
Two periods in one record
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives the period of the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen as "early Meiji and early Taisho," yet the Western-calendar field on the same page reads 1868 to 1911, which stays within the Meiji era.
The published record does not say if the two periods belong to the storehouse and the kitchen separately or to later alterations. This article follows the period field and notes the difference.
Why the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen was registered
The Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen was registered for its contribution to the historic streetscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, with the inner storehouse and the others, it forms a continuous run of storehouses that gives the estate its weighty character. The inner storehouse stands east of the main house, and this building closes the corner beyond it.
The name shingura most likely marks it as a later addition among the estate's storehouses. Main house, then inner storehouse, then new storehouse: the position of the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen suggests an estate that grew backward from the street, one storehouse at a time.
Visiting the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen
The Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen is on private property, and no official information about public access could be found. The interior, including the upstairs rooms over the kitchen, cannot be seen.
The northeast corner lies at the back of the lot as seen from Honmachi-dori, so expect little more than glimpses of roofs and walls from the street. Please do not enter the grounds.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- What is the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen?
- A two-story earthen storehouse with a timber kitchen wing set at a right angle, 99 square meters in all. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 8, 2009.
- What was the kitchen of the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen used for?
- Cooking on the ground floor, with two six-mat rooms upstairs.
- How old is the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen?
- The database period field says early Meiji and early Taisho, while the Western-calendar field reads 1868 to 1911. Which part belongs to which period is not stated.
- How are the walls of the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen finished?
- Plaster above a board skirt on both parts, except for the south face of the kitchen, which leaves its posts exposed in shinkabe style.
- Can visitors see the Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen?
- Not really. It stands at the back corner of a private lot and is hard to see from Honmachi-dori.
Basic Information
| Name | Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen (藤田家住宅新蔵及び料理場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 328 Gotsucho, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 99 square meters |
| Owner | Private (no owner name listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (at the back of the lot, hard to see from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fujita Family Residence New Storehouse and Kitchen
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007538
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fujita Family Residence Inner Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007537
- Tenryo Gotsu Honmachi Iraka Kaido (Gotsu City)
- https://www.city.gotsu.lg.jp/soshiki/4/4657.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
