A Storehouse with a Named Builder
Abuden Miso Archive Storehouse is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1885 at 5-26 Kaemoncho, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture, listed on 17 February 2004 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It has three internal floors under a tiled roof and covers 41 square metres, standing with its ridge east to west about halfway along the north side of the Abuden Miso plot, on the west side of the Nikko Reiheishi Highway.
Of the five listed buildings here, this is the only one whose year of construction is known. Its ridge tag survives and identifies the builder as Mitomi Seibei, a noted local maker of earthen-walled storehouses. The national record dates the other four to the Meiji period without narrowing it further.
Three Floors Inside
The storehouse measures five bays along the ridge and two and a half across, gabled and tiled in pantiles. From outside it reads as two storeys; inside there are three. A storehouse built this way is called an uchigura. Against a footprint of 41 square metres it holds three levels of floor, which suits a building meant for documents and household goods.
The national record notes that it stands out for the care of its construction, citing the stone footing and the fire doors. Earthen-walled storehouses exist to resist fire in the first place, and here the measures go further than usual. Together with the surviving ridge tag, that marks this out as the most carefully built of the group.
Visiting
The building is private property on the premises of a working miso business and is not a visitor site. There are no opening hours or admission fee, and no official source publishes information about access to the interior.
Abuden Miso Archive Storehouse sits midway along the north side of the plot and forms part of the row of storehouses there with the east and middle storehouses. From the street it is seen as part of that row. Directions, the preservation district and enquiry contacts are set out on the Abuden Miso page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Abuden Miso Archive Storehouse
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was Abuden Miso Archive Storehouse built?
- In 1885. It is the only one of the five buildings here with a known year of construction.
- Who built it?
- Its ridge tag identifies Mitomi Seibei, a noted local builder of earthen-walled storehouses.
- How is it constructed?
- Earthen walls, three internal floors and a tiled roof, covering 41 square metres. It looks like two storeys from outside.
- What is valued about it?
- The care of its construction, particularly the stone footing and the fire doors, which the national record singles out.
- Can I visit?
- It is private property on the premises of a working miso business, and no official source publishes information about interior access.
Basic Information
| Name | Abuden Miso Archive Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-26 Kaemoncho, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/02/17 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Floor area 41 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Private business premises; exterior only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003785
- Tochigi City: Kaemoncho Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.tochigi.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/68070.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.19
