About the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse
The Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse (旧金岡家住宅道具蔵, Kyū-Kanaoka-ke Jūtaku Dōgugura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse built around 1880 at 1-37-21 Shinjocho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2023.
The Kanaoka family of drug wholesalers built it to hold their equipment. With a building area of 137 m², it is about four times the size of the estate's other storehouse (35 m²). The Agency for Cultural Affairs records repairs in the late Taishō era and in 1985. Its address is given as a land-lot number, but its north side faces the inner courtyard of the Former Kanaoka Family Residence.
Registered 25 Years Later
The main house, Shinya, gate, wall and storehouse were registered in 1998. The Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse joined them 25 years later, on 7 August 2023, as a structure contributing to the historic landscape (number 16-0162).
The Agency calls it a massive, large-scale storehouse, and Toyama Prefecture says it shows the most formal design and craftsmanship of all the Kanaoka stores. Giving a store for tools the finest finish on the estate is what makes the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse intriguing.
South Doors and North Windows
The Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse has two storeys under a gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, with its ridge running east to west and its entrances on the long side (Hirairi). On the south are two doorways, each sheltered by a lean-to roof (Geya) to form a Tomae entrance. Toyama Prefecture describes them as richly finished, with stone facing at the base and black Shikkui plaster.
The lower walls are rendered in Araidashi washed-aggregate mortar to look like stone. The north side faces the courtyard, with four windows each under a small hood, and the prefecture notes that the design took account of how the storehouse would look across the courtyard from the main house and the Shinya.
One Post and a Boat-Shaped Bracket
Inside the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse, each floor is a single room with a board floor. According to the prefecture, the space was fitted out with shelving.
The structural highlight is a single free-standing post in the middle, directly under the ridge. On its head sits a Funahijiki, a boat-shaped bracket, which in turn carries the jimune, a heavy main beam running along the ridge. With the roof load taken at the centre, the whole 137 m² can be used without partitions.
Visiting the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse
Official sources do not say whether the interior of the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse is open. The Agency's list of subsidies for fiscal 2024 includes 2.5 million yen for its conservation repair for public use, so repairs aimed at opening it have been funded.
For the exterior, look across the courtyard from the main house or the Shinya at the four north windows. Ask at the Kanaoka-tei reception what can be seen. Opening days, admission and directions are on the Former Kanaoka Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1880, with repairs in the late Taishō era and in 1985.
- What kind of building is the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- A two-storey earthen storehouse with a gabled pantile roof, 137 m² in area. Each floor is one boarded room, and a central post with a boat-shaped bracket carries the ridge beam.
- When did the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 7 August 2023, as a structure contributing to the historic landscape, 25 years after the other five.
- What should I look for on the outside of the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- The south doorways dressed in black plaster and stone, and the four hooded windows on the north side facing the courtyard. The lower walls are mortar finished to look like stone.
- Can I go inside the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- Official sources do not say. A subsidy for repair for public use was granted in fiscal 2024. Ask at the Kanaoka-tei reception.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kanaoka Family Residence Tool Storehouse (旧金岡家住宅道具蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-37-21 Shinjocho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2023 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 137 m² (two-storey earthen storehouse) |
| Owner | Toyama Prefecture |
| Public Access | Exterior visible across the courtyard (interior access unconfirmed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 旧金岡家住宅道具蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014589
- Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 旧金岡家住宅道具蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/551411
- Toyama Cultural Heritage (Toyama Prefecture): 旧金岡家住宅道具蔵
- https://toyama-bunkaisan.jp/search/13321/
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: FY2024 subsidy grants (Toyama Prefecture)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/joseishien/hojo/r06_kofu/pdf/94024001_16.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.30
