The 1847 Storehouse at Sōshidō and Its "Wind Gate" Name
The oldest building on the grounds of Sōshidō is also the smallest. The storehouse, a dozō of thick plastered walls, carries a date on its ridge tag: Kōka 4, or 1847, well before any of the writers and editors who would later fill the property arrived. It stands at about 32 square meters, two stories under a gabled, pantiled roof set on a separate frame, with a raised band of plaster running around the top.
This kind of storehouse was the strongbox of a farming household, built to keep fire and damp away from valuables. At Sōshidō it occupies the southeast corner of the residence, the position traditionally called tatsumi, which is why it is known as the tatsumi-gura, the southeast storehouse.
Why the Storehouse Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the storehouse as a tangible cultural property on 27 February 2023, under registration number 13-0481 and the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. It was listed with the main house, the Western annex, and the gate as the Former Residence of Yoshikawa Eiji (Sōshidō).
Its value lies in completeness. The entrance keeps double doors finished in the kakego layered-plaster technique, sheltered by an eave that reaches a full ken, about 1.8 meters, in depth. Inside, each floor is boarded and the walls are lined with planks, while the roof rests on a simple post-supported frame. Storehouses survive less often than main houses, and one this intact rounds out the picture of a complete farm compound.
A Detail Worth Reading
The ridge tag inside gives the building a name of its own: Fūmon no Sōko, the storehouse of the wind gate. Ridge tags were placed at construction to record dates and intentions, and this one ties the storehouse to a moment in 1847 that the rest of the property cannot match.
Stand at the southeast corner and the storehouse reads as the anchor of the whole layout. The deep eave over the entrance, the layered doors, and the plaster band at the top are the marks of a builder working with care more than a century and a half ago, long before the house became a writer's home.
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Q&A
- How old is the storehouse?
- Its ridge tag gives the date Kōka 4, equal to 1847, making it the oldest of the four registered buildings at Sōshidō by several decades.
- What does "tatsumi-gura" mean?
- Tatsumi is the traditional name for the southeast direction. The storehouse sits at the southeast corner of the residence, so it is called the tatsumi-gura, or southeast storehouse.
- What is written on the ridge tag?
- The tag names the building Fūmon no Sōko, the storehouse of the wind gate, and records its construction in 1847.
- What was kept inside?
- As the storehouse of a sericulture farm, it protected the household's valuables from fire and moisture behind its thick plastered walls and layered doors.
- How do I reach it?
- The storehouse stands within the Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum, about a 15-minute walk from Futamatao Station or a short walk from the Yuzuki bus stop.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Residence of Yoshikawa Eiji (Sōshidō), Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 101-1 Yuzuki-machi 1-chome, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registration no. 13-0481 |
| Registered | 27 February 2023 (criterion: contribution to the historic landscape) |
| Period | Edo period, Kōka 4 (1847) |
| Structure | Plastered storehouse construction, two stories, tiled roof; building area about 32 m² |
| Count | 1 building |
| Owner | Ome City |
| Access | About 15 min on foot from Futamatao Station (JR Ome Line); or Toei bus to Yuzuki stop from Ome Station |
| Open to the public | Within the Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum (closed Mondays; confirm interior access) |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs), Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014465
- Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum, official site
- https://ome-yoshikawaeiji.net/
- Ome City official website, Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum
- https://www.city.ome.tokyo.jp/site/provincial-history-museum/24522.html
Last verified: 2026.06.25