About the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse
The Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse (太田家住宅中蔵, Ōta-ke Jūtaku Nakagura) is a two-storey building joining an earthen-walled storehouse to a timber wing, standing at the centre of the Ota estate west of the main house in Yamatocho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture; it dates from around 1875 and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
Its building area is 76 m². The national database describes it as earthen-walled construction, partly timber, two storeys, with a tiled roof. In other words, a storeroom and living quarters share one building.
Two Halves Under One Name
The Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse consists of a two-storey earthen-walled block and a two-storey timber block whose ridge runs at right angles to it, the two joined into a single building. The storehouse half is finished in white Shikkui lime plaster, with a thickened Hachimaki band running round the top of the walls. Its entrance, the Tomae, has double doors.
Inside the storehouse half, both floors are boarded and the walls are lined with planks. Lining a thick clay wall with timber was most likely meant to keep stored goods from touching the damp earth.
A Servants' Wing in Sukiya Taste
The timber half is designed in the manner of sukiya architecture, the refined, understated style that grew out of the tea house. It contains rooms for the household's servants and a bathroom. The people who worked for the Ota family slept here, next door to the goods they looked after.
Servants' rooms and a bath are back-of-house spaces. Giving them a sukiya treatment says a good deal about how much care the Ota family put into its buildings.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse as shaping the view across the middle of the plot. It sits between the shop and house on the street and the west storehouse along the far edge.
Seeing the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse
The Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse is part of a private home and its interior is not open. Tochigi Prefecture lists the property as open for exterior viewing only.
The building stands in the middle of the plot, behind the shop and the main house, and it has not been confirmed how much of it can be seen from the road. The national database includes photographs of it from the north-east and across the small inner garden, which are the easiest way to see its form. Directions to the estate are on the page for the Ota Family Residence in Sano.
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Q&A
- When was the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse built?
- The national database dates it to around 1875. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
- How is the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse constructed?
- It joins a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse to a two-storey timber block set at right angles. The roof is tiled and the building area is 76 m².
- What is in the timber part of the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- Servants' rooms and a bathroom, designed in the sukiya manner.
- What is inside the storehouse part of the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- Boarded floors on both levels and plank-lined walls. The outside is lime-plastered with a hachimaki band, and the entrance has double doors.
- Can you visit the Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- Only from outside, and the building stands in the middle of the plot, so the view from the road is likely to be limited.
Basic Information
| Name | Ota Family Residence Middle Storehouse (太田家住宅中蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2582-2 Edomachi, Yamatocho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 76 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior only (privately owned) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 太田家住宅中蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013679
- Tochigi Prefecture Cultural Properties: 太田家住宅中蔵
- https://bunkazai.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/cultural/%E3%80%90%E5%A4%AA%E7%94%B0%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%E4%B8%AD%E8%94%B5%E3%80%91/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
