Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse

What Is the Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse?

The Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse (旧馬場家住宅米蔵, Kyū-Baba-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse from the early Meiji era (1868 to 1882) in Higashiiwasemachi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 1, 2016.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled-roof Dozo-zukuri building of 267 square meters, eight bays long and seven bays deep. That makes it by far the largest storehouse on the property: the first and second storehouses together cover 157 square meters and the front storehouse just 47 square meters. Its registration number is 16-0115.

It stands in the northwest corner at the very back of the lot. Toyama City describes it as a rice store with a capacity of 2,000 koku; one koku is roughly 180 liters of rice.

Why the Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse Was Registered

The Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered as a model of form. The agency's description admits that its design is plainer than the other storehouses on the site, then singles out one feature: the inner walls are laced with an unusually large number of Nuki, the horizontal tie beams that run between posts.

Every extra tie stiffens a wall. Pile straw bales of rice high against it and the pressure from inside is considerable. Plain on the surface and strong in the frame, the building is shaped by the job it had to do.

What to Notice About the Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse

Along the south side of the Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse runs an open-sided Geya, a lean-to roof carried on posts, with two doorways behind it. Bales could be set down there and moved in and out without getting wet.

The west side is different. According to the agency, the wall facing the old river port is clad in sayaita, boards fixed a little way out from the earthen wall to shield it from rain and wind. Until the early Showa era this side of the property faced the Jinzu River, and only the face exposed to weather off the river was wrapped in timber.

Rice arriving by boat through the west gate would have come ashore closest to this storehouse. Its position at the back of the lot, on the river side, makes sense once you see the plan.

Seeing the Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse

The Former Baba Family Residence Rice Storehouse lies deep in the grounds, beyond the main house. Toyama City's visitor information does not say if its interior is open.

Ask at the reception desk what parts of the site you can reach. The boarded west wall is near the west gate and wall that close off the lot.