The Plainer of Two Storehouses
The Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse (金作家住宅西土蔵) is a clay-walled storehouse of the Taisho period (1912 to 1926) in Uchimen, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey clay-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 41 square metres; registration number 16-0119.
Sharing a Roof with the East Storehouse
The Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse is built directly against the back of the East Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs), making it the building furthest back from the street-front main house.
Its detached protective roof at the rear is simply carried on over the East Storehouse, so that both sit beneath what reads as one sheltering roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The storehouse of 1895 and the Taisho-period Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse thus share a single run of roof.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse as a model of design.
Its walls are plastered all over, and apart from a torii-waku frame around the doorway on the gable end they carry almost no decoration. There is not even a heavy clay door: the whole building is kept plain (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
The interest lies in the contrast with its neighbour. The East Storehouse dresses its door in a torii-waku, mock beams and black plaster; the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse is plastered all over, with decoration limited almost entirely to the frame around its gable-end door (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The single roof carried across both buildings is the other thing to notice.
Visiting
The Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse stands at the very back of a private property, behind the East Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on public access or visits was found as of October 2026.
Q&A
- When was the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse built?
- In the Taisho period, between 1912 and 1926 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where does the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse stand?
- Directly behind the East Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for on the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse?
- Its plain, fully plastered walls and the roof it shares with the East Storehouse.
- Can I visit the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse?
- It stands on private property; no official information on access was found as of October 2026.
- When was the Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse (金作家住宅西土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-53 Uchimen, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey clay-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 41 m² |
| Owner | Private (per Takaoka City list) |
| Public Access | Private home (no information on interior access) |
References
- Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011120
- Kanasaku Family Residence West Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/217317
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Takaoka (Takaoka City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.takaoka.toyama.jp/soshiki/kyoikuiinkai_bunkazaihogokatsuyoka/1/4/2/4508.html
Last verified: 2026.10.29
