About the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse
The Murano Family Residence New Storehouse (村野家住宅新蔵, Murano-ke Jūtaku Shingura) is a two-story clay-walled storehouse built in 1895 in Yanagikubo 4-chome, Higashikurume City, Tokyo, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on January 26, 2011. It is built in the Dozo-zukuri manner, with a Kuramae front room and a small tea room attached; together they cover 69 square meters.
The new storehouse stands west-southwest of the main house, directly north of the grain storehouse. It was the third storehouse on the estate, after the two late Edo ones, which presumably explains the name. It was repaired in 1957 and 1987.
A Storehouse with a Front Room and a Tea Room
The storehouse body runs east to west under a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles and is entered from its gable end, in the Tsumairi manner. It measures 7.3 by 4.5 meters. Of the three storehouses at the Murano Family Residence, it is the only one roofed with tile.
A kuramae, a roofed front room built before the storehouse door and used for handling goods and doing work, stands on the east front, and the tea room sits just north of it. That pairing of a working storehouse with a room for tea is what sets the Murano New Storehouse apart from its two older neighbors.
Plastered Shutters and a Lattice Window
The second-floor window on the front is closed by a pair of Kakegonuri shutters, thick plaster doors with stepped edges that seal tightly into the frame. Down on the ground floor, the kuramae has a Shitaji-mado, a window that leaves the bamboo or reed lattice inside the wall exposed, a device much loved in tea-room design.
So one facade carries both heavy fireproof shutters and a light, rustic tea-room window. Security and the pleasures of tea sit together in a single Meiji building, a small glimpse of how the Murano household lived at the time.
Two Storehouses Among the Trees
The new storehouse and the grain storehouse to its south are both 7.3 meters long, both run east to west, and both are entered from the gable end. The Agency for Cultural Affairs writes that among the trees the two together create a clear, serene atmosphere. Seen side by side, the late Edo grain storehouse with its detached roof and stone base and the Meiji new storehouse with its tiles, front room and tea room show how a storehouse of the same size changed between the Edo and Meiji eras.
Seeing the Murano New Storehouse
The new storehouse stands within a private estate and is normally closed. On the spring and autumn special guided tours it can be seen from outside, but neither the storehouse nor the tea room is opened (checked September 2026). Stand at the east front to compare the plaster shutters upstairs with the lattice window below. There is no official guidance on photography. Tour and access details are on the Murano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse built?
- It was built in 1895 and repaired in 1957 and 1987.
- Does the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse really have a tea room?
- Yes. A roofed front room stands on the east side, with a tea room to its north. Both are included in the 69-square-meter building area.
- How big is the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse?
- The storehouse body measures 7.3 by 4.5 meters, on two stories, under a pantiled roof.
- How does the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse differ from the grain storehouse?
- Both are 7.3 meters long and entered from the gable end, but the late Edo grain storehouse has a detached roof and an Ōya stone base, while the 1895 new storehouse has a tiled roof, a front room and a tea room.
- Can visitors see the tea room at the Murano Family Residence New Storehouse?
- No. The interior, including the tea room, is not open. The spring and autumn special tours show the building from outside (checked September 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Murano Family Residence New Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-283 Yanagikubo, Higashikurume City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2011 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 7.3 m × 4.5 m; building area 69 m² (2-story clay-walled storehouse, pantiled roof, with front room and tea room) |
| Owner | Kaneshichi Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed (exterior viewing on spring and autumn special tours) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Murano Family Residence New Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008423
- Cultural Heritage Online: Murano Family Residence New Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/224829
- Higashikurume City: Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) (Japanese)
- https://www.city.higashikurume.lg.jp/shisei/profile/bunkazai/1002392.html
- Murano Family Residence (Kosoen) official website: Autumn 2026 special tour dates (Japanese)
- https://www.kosoen.tokyo/2026/09/2025.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
