Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses

What Are the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses?

The Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses (旧馬場家住宅壱番蔵及び弐番蔵, Kyū-Baba-ke Jūtaku Ichibangura oyobi Nibangura) are an early Meiji-era (1868 to 1882) earthen-walled storehouse in Higashiiwasemachi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 1, 2016.

The name suggests two buildings, but the Agency for Cultural Affairs counts one. Its description calls it a storehouse with two Tomae, or doorways: a single plastered building divided inside into two storage bays, each with its own entrance. It has a tiled roof, a building area of 157 square meters, and three floors inside.

It stands northwest of the main house with its doors facing south. The registration number is 16-0114.

Why the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses Were Registered

The Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses were registered as a model of form. The agency lists specific details of the workmanship and calls this a high-quality storehouse that reflects the family's success in shipping.

The doorways come first. Each earthen door sits in a frame shaped like a shrine gateway, and its edges are stepped in four tiers of Kakegonuri. When the door closes, the tiers lock into the frame and leave no gap for sparks.

The base of the walls is finished with care as well: courses of stone laid in horizontal bands, surfaced in araidashi, a technique in which the fresh surface is washed to expose the small stones within. It gives a hard skin where rain splashes up against the wall.

What to Notice About the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses

Across the front of the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses runs a Geya, a lean-to roof one and a half bays deep (about 2.7 meters) that shelters both doorways. It turns at a right angle to join the main house, so the family could walk from the house to the storehouse doors under cover even in rain or snow.

The front storehouse beside the main house has the same gateway-shaped frames and four-tier rebates. The street-side storehouse and the rear storehouse share one standard of doorway, which suggests the family built all its storehouses to the same level.

On the city's plan, the rice storehouse adjoins this building on the west, and together they form a row of storehouses along the north side of the lot.

Seeing the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses

The interior of the Former Baba Family Residence First and Second Storehouses is not open to the public. On the floor plan in Toyama City's leaflet, both storehouses are marked closed to visitors.

While touring the main house, ask the reception staff where you can get a look at the storehouse exterior and its covered front.