What Is the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse (立川家住宅内蔵, Tatsukawa-ke Jūtaku Uchigura) is a two-storey storehouse of Dozo-zukuri clay-walled construction, built around 1903 on the estate of a shredded-tobacco merchant family in Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2017.
An uchigura, or inner storehouse, is one placed within the household itself, linked directly to the living quarters rather than set out in a yard. The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse stands behind the main house at the far side of a courtyard, connected to it by a corridor running from the back of the house. With a building area of 19 square metres it is the smallest of the four Tatsukawa buildings.
Why the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse Was Registered
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse was registered on 27 October 2017 as number 36-175, under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a storehouse that helps form the landscape of the estate.
It is dated, like the main house, to around 1903. Building the main house at the front and the storehouse at the back at the same time, and tying them together with a corridor, shows how a merchant household planned its home and its stores as a single unit.
What to Look For at the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse
A small gabled roof in hongawara tiles
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse measures 4.9 m by 3.9 m, with its ridge running north to south. The Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof is laid in Hongawarabuki, the heavy traditional tiling of alternating rounded and flat tiles. The main house and annex both use lighter pantiles, so finding full hongawara tiling on the smallest building of the estate is a detail worth noticing.
Namako tiles facing the courtyard
The walls are sealed in lime plaster right up to the eaves. On the side facing the main house across the courtyard, the lower wall is clad in Namako-kabe, square tiles set in a lattice with raised plaster joints, and the wall above is plastered. The more laborious finish is given to the face that the household saw from its own rooms.
A doorway reached under cover
The doorway opens on the south side. The corridor that runs back from the main house serves as the kuramae, the covered space in front of the storehouse door, so the family could reach the store without stepping outside. Inside there is a single room on each floor.
Seeing the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse is not open to the public, and no interior viewings are announced (checked 2 October 2026). Set behind the main house around the courtyard, it is unlikely to be visible from the road. Please do not enter the grounds in search of the namako wall or the tiled roof.
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Q&A
- What is the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse standing behind the main house at the far side of a courtyard. A corridor from the back of the house connects to it, and its building area is 19 square metres.
- When was the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse to around 1903, the same period as the main house.
- How are the walls of the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse finished?
- The walls of the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse are plastered up to the eaves. On the side facing the main house across the courtyard, the lower wall is clad in namako tiles with plaster above.
- Can you see the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse from outside?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse is not open to the public, and because it stands behind the main house around the courtyard it is unlikely to be visible from the road (checked 2 October 2026).
- What kind of roof does the Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse have?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse has a gabled roof laid in hongawara tiles. The main house and annex use pantiles instead.
Basic Information
| Name | Tatsukawa Family Residence Inner Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 159-1 Tsuji, Ikawacho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 4.9 m by 3.9 m, dozo construction, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 19 m² |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 立川家住宅内蔵 (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012055
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), recommendation of 21 July 2017 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/r1392281_22.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.02
