The Oldest Building on the Site
The Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse (岡家住宅西蔵及び米蔵) is an earthen-walled storehouse of the late Edo period (1830 to 1868) in Nyugo, Kudoyama Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on September 10, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The rice storehouse was added in the late Meiji era.
The Agency records a two-storey earthen storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 45 square metres; registration number 30-0264.
A Storehouse with a Rice Store Attached
The Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse stands in the northwest corner of the site, facing east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The west storehouse is the oldest of the five registered buildings; the rice storehouse section was added in the late Meiji era, giving the building its present form (Wakayama Prefecture).
The west storehouse is a two-storey dozo, an earthen-walled storehouse, with a pantiled gable roof and its entrance on the gable end. A lean-to 1 and a half ken wide on the north side serves as the rice storehouse, and an open lean-to, roofed but without walls, runs along the front. Above the rice storehouse a small hip-and-gable end shows over that front lean-to (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The walls are plastered, with namako-kabe, a lattice of square tiles and raised white plaster joints, along the base of the front and vertical boarding on the base of the sides and back. The door is in the middle of the east front (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Wakayama Prefecture).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes its solid construction, which firms up the rear of the homestead, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. Wakayama Prefecture points to the weighty look of the namako-tiled front.
What to Look For
Look for the white grid of the namako-kabe along the front, and the small hip-and-gable end of the rice storehouse peering over the open lean-to. The change in roof form marks where the late Edo storehouse meets its late Meiji addition in the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse.
Visiting
The Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse stands at the back of the homestead, in its northwest corner, on private ground. No official information on visits could be found.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse built?
- The west storehouse dates from the late Edo period; the rice storehouse was added in the late Meiji era (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Wakayama Prefecture).
- Where is the rice store in the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse?
- In the lean-to, 1 and a half ken wide, on the north side of the west storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What are the walls of the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse like?
- Plastered, with namako-kabe tiling at the base of the front and vertical boards at the base of the sides and back (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I visit the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse?
- It stands on private ground, and no official information on visits was found.
- When was the Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse registered?
- On September 10, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse (岡家住宅西蔵及び米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 288-1 Nyugo, Kudoyama Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/09/10 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, 45 m² |
| Owner | Private (per Wakayama Prefecture) |
| Public Access | Private home (no public opening information) |
References
- Oka Family Residence West Storehouse and Rice Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012977
- Oka Family Residence (Wakayama Prefecture cultural properties portal, Japanese)
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai_879/
Last verified: 2026.10.15
