What Is the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
The Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse (荻野家住宅内蔵, Ogino-ke Jūtaku Uchigura) is a fireproof earthen storehouse built in 1892 just west of the main house of the Ogino Family Residence in Tori 3-chome, Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006. Uchigura means an inner storehouse, one kept inside the household compound rather than on the street, and this one faces the main house across a covered Kuramae.
The storehouse is a two-story Dozo-zukuri building with its ridge running north to south. It measures 4 Ken by 2.5 ken under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its footprint as 71 square meters.
A Date and a Carpenter's Name on the Ridge Beam
The date of the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse does not rest on family memory. It is written on the building. An ink inscription on the jimune, the heavy beam that runs beneath the ridge and carries the roof, records the year 1892 and names the man who led the work: master carpenter Kobayashi Risuke (小林利助).
The Agency's database dates the main house to the same year, and the inscription helps confirm that house and storehouse were planned together. More than 130 years on, the name of the Ashikaga builder who raised the Ogino family's buildings is still there inside the storehouse roof.
Why the Inner Storehouse Was Registered
The Ogino storehouse was registered as a model of design, and the Agency's description singles out the care taken in its construction. The side stringers of the staircase to the upper floor, the boards that hold the treads at either end, are finished with carved moldings, a detail in a part of the building few people would ever see.
The openings follow a clear logic. The only door is on the east face, turned toward the main house across the kuramae. Windows open on the south side of the ground floor and on both the north and south sides of the upper floor. Entry is limited to the household side, and the windows sit in the gable ends; the record lists no openings on the long west wall.
Seeing the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse
The Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse is privately owned and not open to the public. The carved stair stringers and the inscription on the ridge beam cannot be seen.
The storehouse stands inside the plot, west of the main house, and we have not confirmed how much of it is visible from the old highway. Please do not enter the grounds, and look only from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse
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Q&A
- When and by whom was the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse built?
- It was built in 1892. An ink inscription on the ridge beam names the master carpenter as Kobayashi Risuke.
- What does uchigura mean in the name of the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- It means an inner storehouse, one placed inside the household compound. At the Ogino house it stands west of the main house, with a covered kuramae between the two.
- How large is the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- It is a two-story earthen storehouse of 4 by 2.5 ken with a gabled pantile roof. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its footprint as 71 square meters.
- Why is the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a model of design. Its careful construction, such as the carved moldings on the staircase stringers, is noted as a defining feature.
- Can visitors see inside the Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned, not open to the public, and stands inside the plot.
Basic Information
| Name | Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-3545 Tori, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 3, 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 71 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (stands inside the plot) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005556
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ogino Family Residence Inner Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/118434
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogino Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005555
- Ashikaga City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) (Japanese)
- https://www.city.ashikaga.tochigi.jp/education/000029/000169/000627/p001307.html
Last verified: 2026.10.03
