About the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse
The Ota Family Residence West Storehouse (太田家住宅西蔵, Ōta-ke Jūtaku Nishigura) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse on the western edge of the Ota estate, just west of the middle storehouse, in Yamatocho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture; built around 1875, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
It covers 59 m² under a gabled pantile roof whose ridge runs north to south. The Ota Family Residence West Storehouse belongs to the same building phase as the shop, the main house and the middle storehouse.
Doors and Windows Facing Inward
A lean-to roof shelters the east side, where the ground floor has two doorways closed by sliding Tsuchido, heavy clay-covered doors that part to either side. Upstairs, the east wall has two windows with hinged clay shutters.
Every opening is on the east. That side faces into the estate, towards the middle storehouse, so the building was entered and lit from within the household rather than from outside it.
The walls are lime-plastered all over, the plaster carried right up into the Hachimaki band under the eaves. Two doorways fit an interior divided into two rooms on each floor.
One Tatami Room Upstairs
Of the four rooms inside, only the southern room on the upper floor has tatami. The other three have board floors, and the walls are plastered.
The sources do not say why a storehouse should have one matted room. If the three boarded rooms held goods, the tatami room may have been where someone sat to unfold and check them.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse with shaping the view along the western edge of the plot. With the south storehouse at the south-west corner, it marks the estate's western boundary.
Seeing the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse
The Ota Family Residence West 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 storehouse stands on the far western edge of the plot with its openings turned inward to the east, and it has not been confirmed which of its walls can be seen from the road. The national database has a photograph taken from the north-east that shows the doorways and windows along the east side. Directions to the estate are on the page for the Ota Family Residence in Sano.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ota Family Residence West Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Ota Family Residence West 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 West Storehouse built?
- It is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a gabled pantile roof, ridge running north to south, lime-plastered walls and a building area of 59 m².
- Where are the doors and windows of the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse?
- All on the east side: two sliding clay doors on the ground floor and two windows with hinged clay shutters above.
- What is inside the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse?
- Two rooms on each floor. Only the southern room upstairs has tatami; the other three have board floors.
- Can you visit the Ota Family Residence West Storehouse?
- Only from outside. It stands on the western edge of the plot, and how much of it is visible from the road has not been confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Ota Family Residence West Storehouse (太田家住宅西蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 59 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior only (privately owned) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 太田家住宅西蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013680
- Tochigi Prefecture Cultural Properties: 太田家住宅西蔵
- 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%E8%A5%BF%E8%94%B5%E3%80%91/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
