What Is the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse?
The Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse (旧丸中横仲商店砂糖蔵, Kyū-Marunaka Yokonaka Shōten Satōgura) is a single-storey earthen storehouse in the Aramachi district of Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, built in 1874 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 August 2015.
The name is literal. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this is where the Marunaka Yokonaka wholesale business kept the sugar it traded. The building sits south of centre on a long, east-west property, its ridge running east to west. The other four storehouses line up in two rows to its northeast, so the Sugar Storehouse forms the southern row on its own.
It is built in the Dozo-zukuri manner: a timber frame buried in thick clay walls and finished with plaster, a combination meant to keep fire out. Under a sheet-metal roof of the okiyane type, it has a building area of 47 square metres and a length of about 12 metres, the longest of the five. Its registration number is 06-0154.
Why the Sugar Storehouse Was Registered
It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency's description makes two points: it belongs to one of the storehouse groups of central Nagai, a town that prospered on Mogami River trade, and at about 12 metres long it is a large storehouse.
The Storehouse to its north went up in the same year, 1874, but rises two storeys. The Sugar Storehouse instead stretches out on one level. That long, low block along the south side gives the group its depth, set against the taller two-storey row behind it.
What to Look For: A Separate Roof and Two Tiers of Openings
Okiyane means, roughly, a placed roof. The body of the storehouse, walls and ceiling alike, is sealed in clay and plaster first, and a separate timber roof is then set over it with a gap in between. The gap keeps summer heat off the store, and if the roof catches fire it can burn away while the sealed body survives. That is the general logic of the form, widely used for storehouses; the Agency's record notes that the Sugar Storehouse is built this way.
Look at the end walls facing east and west. Each has openings in two tiers, one above the other, although the building has only one storey, a clue from outside to its generous interior height.
The openings are finished in kakego-nuri. The edges of each heavy Tsuchido shutter and of its frame are built up in stepped layers of plaster, so that when the shutter closes the steps interlock and keep out smoke and flame. Every step means another coat and another wait for it to dry, which is why such openings were a mark of a well-built storehouse.
No published source describes the interior layout or how the sugar was stored.
Visiting the Sugar Storehouse
The Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse is privately owned, and neither the interior nor the grounds are open. It can only be seen from outside the property.
It stands in the middle of the lot, with the Storehouse and the Pawn Storehouse to the north, so how much of it you can see depends on the surrounding buildings; check the sight lines on site. The two-tier openings are on the east and west gable ends.
There is no official guidance on photography. Directions and general viewing conditions are on the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten page.
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Q&A
- Where does the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse stand on the property?
- It stands south of centre on the long east-west lot, with its ridge running east to west. The other four storehouses line up in two rows to its northeast, so it forms the southern row on its own.
- What kind of building is the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen storehouse built in 1874, with a sheet-metal roof of the okiyane type. At about 12 metres long, it is the longest of the five Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten storehouses.
- When was the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 August 2015, under registration number 06-0154, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
- Why is it called the Sugar Storehouse?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse once held the sugar that the business sold. The firm was a wholesaler of wheat, sugar and foodstuffs.
- Can you go inside the Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned, and neither the interior nor the grounds are open to the public. Visitors can only view the exterior from outside the property.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse (旧丸中横仲商店砂糖蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2459-2 Aramachi and other lots, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/8/4 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | About 12 metres long; building area 47 square metres (single-storey earthen storehouse) |
| Owner | Private (individual owner) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (interior and grounds closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010550
- Yamagata Prefecture heritage database: Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Sugar Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.yamagata.jp/cgi-bin/yamagata-takara/?m=detail&id=1867
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on registrations (13 March 2015, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/bunkashingi_toshin_150313.pdf
- Yamagata Tourism Association: Former Marunaka Yokonaka Shoten Storehouse Group (Japanese)
- https://yamagatakanko.com/attractions/detail_11292.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
