Red Brick Below, White Plaster Above
The Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse (旧新井製糸所漆喰蔵, Kyū Arai Seishijo Shikkui-gura) is a two-storey storehouse from the middle Meiji era at the Former Arai Silk Mill in Nowata, Nogi Town, Tochigi Prefecture, built of brick on the ground floor and as a Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled store above, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011.
It adjoins the office on its west side and faces east. The roof is a north-to-south Kirizuma-zukuri gable covered in Sangawara-buki tiles, with a lean-to Geya across the east front. The plan measures 7.3 metres by 4.6 metres, a building area of 42 square metres, making it the smallest of the three registered buildings. It was renovated in 1999.
The name is a little misleading. Only the upper floor is finished in white Shikkui lime plaster; the ground floor is bare red brick, and the change of material falls cleanly at the floor line.
Why It Was Registered
The Arai Plaster Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the vivid contrast between its white plaster and its brick.
The bricks came from the Shimotsuke Renga Seizō Kaisha, the brick company that operated in Nogi in the Meiji era. Here they were put to work in the lower storey of a traditional earthen storehouse, a pairing of old construction and new material that shows how a provincial Meiji business adapted the familiar kura.
The Agency dates the building to the middle Meiji era. Since the Shimotsuke company was founded in 1888, a storehouse built with its bricks is unlikely to be any earlier than that.
What to Look At
English bond at ground level
The ground floor is laid in English bond, with courses showing the long faces of the bricks alternating with courses showing their ends, which gives the wall its neat horizontal banding. At the Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse the wall is one brick thick, its depth equal to the length of a single brick.
The plastered upper floor
Upstairs the walls are earthen, sealed in white plaster. Red below and white above, the two finishes meet exactly where one storey gives way to the next.
The lean-to on the east
A lean-to roof projects over the east front, sheltering the entrance and confirming that this was the working face of the store.
Between the office and the brick storehouse
The office lies immediately to the east and the brick storehouse to the south. Taken in order, the three buildings move from timber, to brick and plaster, to brick throughout, and the plaster storehouse sits at the midpoint.
Visiting
The Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse stands within a private residence, and as of October 2026 there was no regular arrangement for viewing the interior.
Whether the east front and its change from brick to plaster can be seen from outside the property has not been confirmed. Please do not enter the grounds.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse built?
- It dates from the middle Meiji era and was renovated in 1999. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011.
- How is the Arai Plaster Storehouse built?
- It has two storeys: the ground floor is laid one brick thick in English bond using bricks from the Shimotsuke Renga Seizō Kaisha, and the upper floor is an earthen-walled store finished in white plaster. The roof is gabled and tiled.
- How big is the Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse?
- It measures 7.3 metres by 4.6 metres, with a building area of 42 square metres.
- Where does the Plaster Storehouse stand at the Former Arai Silk Mill?
- It adjoins the west side of the office, toward the north of the site, and faces east. The brick storehouse continues to the south.
- Can I visit the Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse?
- It stands within a private residence, and as of October 2026 there was no regular arrangement for viewing the interior. Please do not enter the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse (旧新井製糸所漆喰蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 328-1 Nowata, Nogi Town, Shimotsuga District, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/7/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick and earthen-walled construction, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 7.3 metres by 4.6 metres, building area 42 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Private residence, not open (the site's buildings and papers are reported to be shown on an irregular basis) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008646
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Arai Silk Mill Plaster Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/161457
- Nogi Town: Historic Sites and Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.town.nogi.lg.jp/kosodate_kyouiku/syougaigakusyu/page000469.html
Last verified: 2026.10.08
