About the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse
The Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse (小川家住宅米蔵, Ogawa-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a long Dozo-zukuri storehouse, single-storey with a two-storey section, built in 1911 in Otome 3-chome, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 31, 2007. The Ogawa family, fertilizer wholesalers from the Otome Kashi river landing, built it when they moved their premises to the highway, and since 2009 its converted interior has served as the gallery of the Oyama City Kurumaya Museum of Art.
The Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse runs along the prefectural road on the west edge of the plot. It measures 15 Ken by 4.5 ken, with a Hisashi canopy one ken deep across the front. At 198 square meters it is the largest of the five registered buildings. The hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and the walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster.
Why It Was Registered
The Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a remarkably long storehouse that conveys the family's prosperity. With a ken of roughly 1.8 meters, 15 ken comes to about 27 meters, and a white plaster wall of that length running beside the road tells passers-by how large the establishment was.
It went up in 1911, a year before the main house and in the same year the old storehouse was moved in from the river. Building the storehouse for the family's goods before the family's home is the order of priorities one would expect from a wholesaler.
Five Bays and a King Post Truss
Inside, the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse was divided into five rooms. Each had its own large door at the front and a window at the back to let in light, so stock could be moved in and out of each bay separately. From outside, the five doors line up under the front canopy.
The roof is carried on a King post truss, a triangulated frame with a central vertical post. This Western form of roof framing, or Yōgoya, made it possible to span a building of this length, so a storehouse that looks entirely traditional from outside hides Meiji-era engineering in its roof.
The 2009 conversion turned the interior into a gallery. Oyama City's facility summary gives the gallery, the former rice storehouse, an area of 198.74 square meters.
Visiting the Gallery
The Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse hosts about five temporary exhibitions a year and is also rented out as a community gallery. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.) and closed on Mondays and the fourth Friday of the month (unless these fall on a holiday), on the day after a public holiday, and over the New Year break. Admission depends on the exhibition and is always free for junior high school students and younger. The gallery may be closed between exhibitions, so check the dates on the city's annual schedule before you go.
A ramp leads up to the gallery of the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse, and wheelchair users can go straight in after staff wipe the wheels at the door. Other visitors change into slippers. Some visitors have reported that photography was not permitted in the exhibition room, so ask at reception.
From outside, look at the long plastered wall running along the west edge of the plot and the row of large doors beneath the front canopy.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1911, a year before the main house. It was one of the first buildings the Ogawa family put up on the new site.
- Why is the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- As a storehouse 15 ken long that conveys the family's prosperity, it was judged to contribute to the historic landscape of the country. It was registered on July 31, 2007.
- What is inside the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- It was built as five rooms, each with a large front door and a rear window, under a king post truss roof. Since a 2009 conversion it has been an art gallery.
- How much does the gallery in the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse cost?
- It depends on the exhibition. Junior high school students and younger are always free. The gallery is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Is the gallery in the Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse wheelchair accessible?
- Yes. A ramp leads to the entrance and wheelchairs can be used inside. There is also an accessible toilet.
Basic Information
| Name | Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-10-34 Otome, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered July 31, 2007 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 198 square meters; 15 ken by 4.5 ken |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (opened to the public by the Oyama City Kurumaya Museum of Art) |
| Public Access | Open as an art gallery (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; admission varies by exhibition) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006557
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ogawa Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/191280
- Oyama City: About the Ogawa Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/kankou-bunka/rekishi_bunka/bunkazai/page000618.html
- Oyama City: About the Kurumaya Museum of Art (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/kurumayamuseum/info/page001000.html
- Oyama City: Kurumaya Museum of Art, Annual Schedule (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/kurumayamuseum/schedule/
- Oyama City: Kurumaya Museum of Art, Accessibility (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oyama.tochigi.jp/kurumayamuseum/page004444.html
Last verified: 2026.10.03
