What the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse Is
The Sono Family Residence South Storehouse (薗家住宅南土蔵, Sono-ke Jūtaku Minami-dozō) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri utensil store built in the late Taishō period (1919–1926) on the estate of the Sono family, former shipping merchants in Sono, Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 August 2024. It held dishes and other tableware.
It stands on the east side of the plot, north-east of the main house, facing west. The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable with the entrance in the gable end, Tsumairi, in Hongawarabuki tiling, and the building area is 52 square metres. The Katahei wall runs north from it, so the storehouse anchors the wall's southern end. It was altered around 1953.
It is the only storehouse on the estate that does not go back to the late Edo period. The Edo stores were already divided by use, trays to the west storehouse, household goods to the east, dolls to the doll storehouse, and in the Taishō era a store for dishes was added to them.
Why It Was Registered
The criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the wall continues from it to the north and that together they shape the view along the east side of the plot. The wall turning south from the east storehouse and the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse at its end make one continuous eastern edge.
The walls are plastered in white Shikkui with a base rendered in mortar. On the late Edo doll and west storehouses the same zone is covered with vertical boards; here a Taishō builder used a modern material for the same job. The idea of protecting the bottom of the plaster stayed the same, only the means moved from timber to mortar, and it is one of the easiest clues to a storehouse's date on this estate.
Inside, the ground floor is boarded and split into east and west rooms, and above the centre of the west room the space is left open to the roof. The east storehouse has a similar double-height bay, so it seems to be a shared habit of the two buildings.
What to Look For
The Sono Family Residence South Storehouse turns its roof a different way from the other three. The doll, west and east storehouses are hirairi, with doors in the long side; this one is tsumairi, with its triangular gable facing west and the door set toward the southern end of that face. Over the door is a lean-to Geya in Sangawara-buki pantiles.
Note the mix of roofing: heavy hongawarabuki on the main roof, lighter pantiles on the lean-to. Published sources do not say whether this relates to the alterations of around 1953, but two tiling methods sit on the one building.
Visiting
The South Storehouse is part of a private home, and neither the building nor the grounds are open (checked 24 September 2026). Its west-facing entrance looks into the estate and cannot be seen from any public road.
It lies north-east of the main house, so please do not try to glimpse it by peering into the property from Shinmachi-dori.
Directions to the estate and general visiting conditions are on the Sono Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- What was stored in the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse?
- Dishes and other tableware. Trays, household goods and dolls each had their own storehouse.
- When was the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse built?
- In the late Taishō period (1919–1926), with alterations around 1953. It is the only storehouse on the estate that is not late Edo.
- Can you visit the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse?
- No. It is part of a private home and the building and grounds are closed. Its entrance faces into the estate and cannot be seen from the street (checked 24 September 2026).
- How does the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse differ from the other storehouses?
- It has its entrance in the gable end rather than the long side, and a mortar base instead of timber boarding, both signs of its Taishō date.
- Why is the Sono Family Residence South Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, with the wall running north from it, it shapes the view along the east side of the plot.
Basic Information
| Name | Sono Family Residence South Storehouse (薗家住宅南土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 691 Sono, Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 30-0367 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/8/15 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, tiled roof, building area 52 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (entrance side not visible from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Sono Family Residence South Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015076
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Sono Family Residence Katahei Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015077
- Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, Wakayama Cultural Heritage: Sono Family Residence
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-spot-1041/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
