About the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse
The Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse (東門脇家住宅蔵, Higashi-Kadowaki-ke Jūtaku Kura) is a two-story fireproof storehouse built in 1918 in Tokorogo, Daisen Town, Tottori Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on November 8, 2004. It is built in Dozo-zukuri clay-walled construction under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof, entered from the gable end (Tsumairi), with a building area of 23 square meters.
The storehouse stands at the southwest corner of the estate, where the Bōryō road on the west meets the road along the south. At 3 by 2 ken it is the smallest of the clay-walled buildings on the Higashikadowaki property, but its corner position gives it an outsized part in how the estate looks from the street.
Double Doors and a Plaster Band Under the Eaves
The entrance of the Higashikadowaki Storehouse is on the north side, sheltered by a small Hisashi roof and closed with Kannon-biraki double doors that open outward from the center. On a storehouse these are thick, clay-packed doors meant to keep fire out. Small windows open on the upper floor.
The walls are finished in white Shikkui lime plaster, and the two sides and back are sheathed in horizontal boards to shield the plaster from rain and wind. A Hachimaki band runs under the eaves: a thicker, projecting strip of plaster that protects the eave line from fire and gives the building a crisp top edge. The roof is covered in reddish-brown Sekishū-gawara tiles from western Shimane.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a carefully built storehouse, and the care shows in the doorway, the eave band and the boarded walls, all on a building of only 23 square meters.
Holding the Corner
The Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency singles out the way it tidies the southwest corner of the lot.
On the south road the storehouse joins the gate row house and the barn to form the estate's formal front. On the Bōryō road the west earthen wall sets off from here and runs north beside the water channel. The storehouse stands at the hinge between the two faces of the estate.
Seeing the Higashikadowaki Storehouse
Because it stands on a corner, the Higashikadowaki Storehouse can be seen from both the south road and the Bōryō road. From near the intersection, the white plaster, the boarded walls, the Sekishū tile roof and the eave band fit into one view, and you can follow the west earthen wall as it heads north. The entrance faces north into the grounds, so the double doors cannot be seen from the road.
The estate is a private home that is not open to the public, and the storehouse interior is closed. No official guidance on photography could be found as of September 2026. When you stop on the road, keep clear of passing cars and residents.
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Q&A
- When was the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In 1918 (Taisho 7).
- How is the Higashikadowaki Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story clay-walled storehouse with a gabled roof, entered from the gable end, measuring 3 by 2 ken with a building area of 23 square meters. It has a Sekishū tile roof, lime-plastered walls and a plaster band under the eaves.
- What details should I look for on the Higashikadowaki Storehouse?
- The plaster band under the eaves, the horizontal boards protecting the sides and back, and the reddish-brown Sekishū tiles. The double doors under a small roof are on the north side, facing into the grounds.
- Where can I see the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse from?
- From around the corner where the south road meets the Bōryō road. The interior is not open.
- Why is the Higashikadowaki Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It is a carefully built storehouse that tidies the southwest corner of the estate, and it was registered in 2004 for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse (東門脇家住宅蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 425 Tokorogo, Daisen-cho, Saihaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2004 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 23 m²; 3 by 2 ken (clay-walled, 2 stories) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior visible from the south road and the Bōryō road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004404
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashikadowaki Family Residence Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/117284
- Daisen Town: Higashikadowaki Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.daisen.jp/10/33/1/s148/p136/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
