The Family Storehouse Behind the House
Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse (長沼合名会社内蔵, uchigura) is a two-storey earthen storehouse from the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) in Tokamachi, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008. It is built in the Dozo-zukuri earthen-wall technique with a metal-clad roof and covers 40 square metres.
It is joined to the north side of the store and main house's earth-floored Doma by a small covered area in front of its door. The family kept household goods here, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the arrangement preserves a traditional house layout in which home and storehouse run together. It is the smallest of the six registered Naganuma buildings.
A Storehouse from the Merchant Years
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse was not built for brewing. It belongs to the decades when the family dealt in cloth and silkworms, and among the big brewery sheds it is the building that still speaks of a merchant household.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period; the Nagai tourism bureau gives the late Edo to early Meiji period. This article follows the agency.
A Floating Roof and Stepped Plaster Doors
The storehouse measures 9.2 metres by 3.7 metres, narrow and two storeys tall, under a gable roof built as an oki-yane: a separate roof frame set on top of the sealed earthen body. Air moves through the gap, keeping heat and damp down, and in a fire the roof could burn away while the plastered body protected what was inside.
The south gable has double doors in kakego-nuri, a plasterer's finish in which the edges of the doors and frame are built up in steps that lock together when closed, sealing the gap against flame and smoke.
On the east side each floor has a window, and a single tall kakego-nuri door runs through both storeys. Picture heavy chests being hauled in and out and the purpose of that tall opening becomes clear.
Seeing the Inner Storehouse
The Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse stands behind the store and main house and is hard to see from the street. No public access to the interior is announced. If you are ever invited onto the grounds, follow the brewery's lead, since this storehouse opens directly off the family home.
There is no published photography policy. Directions are on the Naganuma General Partnership Company group page. Information checked on 26 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse?
- It stands behind the store and main house and is hard to see from the street. No public access to the interior is announced.
- When was the Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1867). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008.
- What was the Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse used for?
- Storing household goods. It is joined to the north side of the store and main house's doma.
- How big is the Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse?
- It measures 9.2 metres by 3.7 metres, two storeys, with a footprint of 40 square metres, the smallest of the six registered Naganuma buildings.
- What is special about the doors of the Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse?
- They are finished in kakego-nuri, stepped plaster edges that interlock when closed. One pair is in the south gable, and a tall door on the east side spans both floors.
Basic Information
| Name | Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-652-1 Tokamachi, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/4/18 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 9.2 metres by 3.7 metres, building area 40 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs records |
| Public Access | Hard to see from the street. No public interior access is announced |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Naganuma General Partnership Company Inner Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006982
- Yamagata Tourism: Naganuma Gomei Kaisha, Nagai Tourism Bureau entry (Japanese)
- https://yamagatakanko.com/attractions/detail_11263.html
- Naganuma Gomei Kaisha: About the Brewery (Japanese)
- https://soumura.com/about.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
