An Early Meiji Shop Storehouse on the Reiheishi Road
The Daini Shoten Shop (大二商店店舗) is a storehouse-style shop of the early Meiji period in Yorozucho, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 18, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey storehouse-style building with a tiled roof, covering 40 square metres; registration number 09-0032.
A Shop Storehouse on the Old Reiheishi Kaido
The Daini Shoten Shop faces west onto the old Reiheishi Kaido highway, a little south of the Yamamoto Yuzo memorial museum (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was the shop storehouse of a cotton-thread merchant trading under the house name Kamafuji.
It is 3 and a half bays by 3 bays, a full two storeys under a gabled roof entered on the long side, built in storehouse style with a pent roof across the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design, a shop storehouse thought to date from the early Meiji period, kept low and with old-fashioned upper windows.
What to Look For
Look for its low height and the old-fashioned form of the upper windows (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on the shop's business or access to the interior was found. The front can be seen from the old Reiheishi Kaido.
Q&A
- When was the Daini Shoten Shop built?
- It is thought to date from the early Meiji period.
- What was the shop originally?
- The shop storehouse of a cotton-thread merchant.
- How is Daini Shoten read?
- Da-i-ni sho-ten, according to the Agency's reading.
- How is Yorozucho read?
- Yo-ro-zu-cho, according to the Japan Post postcode data.
- When was the Daini Shoten Shop registered?
- On October 18, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Daini Shoten Shop (大二商店店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-3 Yorozucho, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/10/18 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey storehouse style, tiled roof, 40 m², 3 and a half by 3 bays |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Daini Shoten Shop (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001878
Last verified: 2026.10.18