The Household Storehouse, Built 2 Years After the House
The Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse (旧ヤマジュウ田村家住宅西土蔵, Kyū Yamajū Tamura-ke Jūtaku Nishi-dozō) is a two-story earthen-walled storehouse in Fussa, Tokyo, built in 1904 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 19, 2014.
Its ridge tag gives the year: 2 years after the main house went up in 1902, and 7 years before the East Storehouse of 1911. Of the two storehouses that survive on the plot, this is the older.
Plaster Walls Over a Battened Wainscot
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse stands behind the main house to the north, side by side with the East Storehouse, its ridge running north to south. It measures 6.4 meters by 4.3 meters, with a building area of 35 square meters (34.80 by the city's figure).
It is a Dozo-zukuri structure: thick clay walls finished in Shikkui lime plaster. The roof is an Okiyane, a separate roof set on top of the fireproof walls rather than built into them, and it is covered in sheet metal. The entrance is on the south face, sheltered by a small lean-to roof. Along both sides and the back, the lower walls are clad in overlapping horizontal boards held down by notched vertical battens, a finish known as sasarako Shitami-itabari.
There is only one set of windows, on the south side of the upper floor. The Fussa City Local History Museum also notes that the roof framing differs from that of the East Storehouse.
What the West Storehouse Kept
The West Storehouse held the family's tableware for formal occasions: individual meal trays and lacquered bowls brought out for weddings and similar gatherings. It also stored wooden buckets marked with the names of the zodiac years, used to draw the first water of the New Year, a household ritual known as wakamizu.
Those objects were among the household goods donated to Fussa City with the buildings in 2013. The family's tools and papers have since been registered as a city cultural property in their own right.
Why the West Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse was registered as registration number 13-0351, under the criterion of a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The national agency describes it as completing the layout of the homestead together with the main house and the East Storehouse.
On its own it is a modest two-story store. Set behind the main house beside its twin, it gives the plot the depth of a well-off late Meiji household, with living quarters in front and storage at the back.
Seeing the West Storehouse
The upper floor of the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse is closed. The official pages do not say whether the ground floor is open, so plan on viewing the building from the yard.
From the front you can pick out the south doorway with its little lean-to roof and the upper-floor window. Walk around the sides to see where the battened boards stop and the plaster begins. Then step back and compare it with the East Storehouse next door: metal roof against tile, one window against several.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse built?
- Its ridge tag dates it to 1904, 2 years after the main house and 7 years before the East Storehouse.
- How big is the Yamaju Tamura West Storehouse?
- It is a two-story earthen-walled storehouse measuring 6.4 meters by 4.3 meters, with a building area of 35 square meters.
- What was stored in the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse?
- Meal trays and lacquered bowls for weddings and other gatherings, and zodiac-marked buckets used to draw the first water of the New Year.
- How does the Yamaju Tamura West Storehouse differ from the East Storehouse?
- The West Storehouse has a sheet-metal roof and windows only on the south side of the upper floor. The East Storehouse has a tiled roof and more windows. Their roof framing also differs.
- Can I go inside the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The upper floor is closed. The official pages do not say whether the ground floor is open, so check on site.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse (旧ヤマジュウ田村家住宅西土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1158 Aza-Naga, Oaza Fussa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 13-0351 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 19, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-story dozo-zukuri, sheet-metal roof, 6.4 meters by 4.3 meters, building area 35 square meters |
| Owner | Fussa City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (upper floor closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010271
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/210934
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/yamaju
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence West Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/547
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Collection of the Former Yamaju Tamura Family (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/2908
Last verified: 2026.10.03
