About the Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse
The Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse (髙橋家住宅土蔵, Takahashi-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a fireproof clay-walled storehouse built in 1875 in Shimohoya 3-chome, Nishitokyo City, Tokyo, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 27, 2018. It is a 2-story Dozo-zukuri building with a metal roof and a building area of 25 square meters.
It stands southeast of the main house with its front turned west, and was repaired in 1923 and again in 2007. The estate's clothing storehouse is almost exactly as old and covers the same area, but this storehouse is long and narrow where the other is square.
A Separate Roof Over a Clay Box
The Takahashi Storehouse measures 4 Ken along its length and 2 ken across. Its gabled roof is an Okiyane: a roof built as its own frame and set on top of the sealed, plastered body of the storehouse rather than joined to it. The gap between the two keeps summer heat off the contents and, if fire takes the roof, gives the clay body underneath a better chance of surviving.
The roof is framed as a Wagoya, the Japanese system of beams and short vertical struts. The main house next door, built in 1927, uses a Western triangulated truss instead, so the two buildings show half a century of change in carpentry on a single plot.
Iron Sheets After the Great Kanto Earthquake
The outer walls of the Takahashi Storehouse are finished in Shikkui lime plaster. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, iron sheeting was fixed over that plaster after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the repair the database records for 1923 appears to be this work.
The earthquake shook plaster off storehouses all over the Kanto region. Covering the walls in metal instead of replastering them was a practical way to shield them from rain and fire again, and the result is a Meiji storehouse wearing the marks of a 20th-century disaster.
Heavy Doors and a Carved Bracket
The doorway and the window on the 2nd-floor south side are closed by thick paired doors hinged at either side and meeting in the middle, the arrangement called kannon-biraki. Shut them and the storehouse becomes a sealed, fire-resistant box.
For a smaller detail, look at the Mochiokuri brackets that hold up the little roof over the windows. They are carved with curved moldings, an unexpected piece of decoration on a working storehouse.
Registration and Visiting
The Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says it helps give the estate its historic appearance.
The Takahashi Storehouse stands inside a private home and is not open to the public (checked September 2026). You can see only what is visible from outside the property. There is no official guidance on photography; please be considerate of the residents. Directions are on the Takahashi Family Residence (Nishitokyo) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In 1875. It was repaired in 1923 and in 2007.
- What does the Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse look like?
- It is a 2-story clay-walled storehouse, 4 ken by 2 ken, with a separate gabled roof set over the body. The roof is metal and the building area is 25 square meters.
- Why is the Takahashi Storehouse covered in iron sheets?
- Its plaster walls were clad in iron after the Great Kanto Earthquake, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- When did the Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On March 27, 2018.
- Can I visit the Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse?
- It is inside a private home and not open to the public (checked September 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse (髙橋家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 862 Shimohoya 3-chome, Nishitokyo City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2018 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 25 m²; 4 ken by 2 ken (dozo-zukuri, 2 stories) |
| Owner | Not disclosed (private residence) |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior only, from outside the property) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012130
- Cultural Heritage Online: Takahashi Family Residence Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/442939
Last verified: 2026.09.29
