The Rice Store at the Front
The Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse (旧松岡家住宅前蔵, Kyū Matsuoka-ke Jūtaku Maegura) is an earth-walled storehouse built in 1887 to hold unhulled rice, on a farmstead in Utamaru, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture; it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2022/10/31.
It stands to the south-east of the main house and faces west, so its door looks back toward the house across the yard. It is a single-storey dozo-zukuri building with a footprint of 32 square metres, and it was renovated in the mid-Showa period.
Mae means front. The name sets it against the rear storehouse to the north-west of the house, and Yamagata Prefecture describes the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse as part of the farm's public face. It lines up with the work shed and cowshed to the north-east to form the front of the compound.
Why It Was Registered
The storehouse holds registration number 06-0204 from the 103rd round of national registrations, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a storehouse that shapes the layout of a rice farmer's home. It was built to keep the harvest as unhulled grain, and the grain bins inside survive in recognisable form. With its storage system intact, it shows in practical terms how a rice-growing household kept its crop.
What to Look For
A roof set on top of the walls
The roof is gabled, with the entrance on the long side in the hirairi manner, and it takes the okiyane form: a separate sheet-metal roof frame set on top of the plastered storehouse body. The idea is that if fire takes the roof, the thick-walled store beneath can still survive. According to the prefecture, the roof of the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse was originally thatched.
Unpainted plaster and a sheltered door
The outer walls are left at the middle coat. Earthen storehouse walls are built up in many layers of clay, and here the finish stops at the earthier intermediate layer rather than the usual top coat of white plaster. The door is on the west side, sheltered by a lean-to so that grain could be moved in and out in the rain.
Grain bins closed with drop boards
Inside, an earth-floored aisle runs down the middle, with board-lined grain bins on either side, their floors, walls and ceilings all planked. The bins are closed with drop boards: horizontal planks slid down into grooves in the posts and stacked one above another. As the bin filled, another board went in; to empty it, boards came out from the top. It is a simple way to let the opening rise with the grain. The national database also has a photograph of the small room at the north end.
Visiting
The storehouse is owned by Abe Shoten Co., Ltd. As of October 2026 we found no official announcement of interior openings, so please do not enter the grounds. It stands on the front side of the compound, but we have not confirmed how well it can be seen from outside.
The east elevation and the interior can be seen in the photographs in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, and in the document Yamagata Prefecture published on registration.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse built?
- In 1887. It was renovated in the mid-Showa period.
- What was the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse used for?
- Storing unhulled rice. An earth-floored aisle runs down the centre, with board-lined grain bins on both sides that were closed with stacked drop boards.
- Can I see inside the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse?
- As of October 2026 we found no official announcement of interior openings. The owner is Abe Shoten Co., Ltd. Photographs of the exterior and interior are in the national database.
- What kind of roof does the front storehouse have?
- A gabled roof entered on the long side, built in the okiyane style with sheet metal set over the storehouse body. The prefecture notes that it was originally thatched.
- Why is the Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2022 for contributing to the historic landscape, as a storehouse that helps define the home of a rice-farming family.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse (旧松岡家住宅前蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1629 Kubo-ni, Utamaru, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2022/10/31 (Reiwa 4) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earth-walled storehouse, single storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 32 square metres |
| Owner | Abe Shoten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No public openings announced (privately managed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014311
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Matsuoka Family Residence Front Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/595040
- Yamagata Prefecture: registration notice for the Former Matsuoka Family Residence and others, 2022 (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.pref.yamagata.jp/documents/19483/touroku.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.07
