What Is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse?
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse (羽前絹練株式会社土蔵, Dozō) is the two-storey product store of a working silk scouring works in Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; it was built in the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926), moved to its present position in 1940, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 December 2024. At 75 square meters it is the smallest of the seven registered buildings.
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse is attached to the south end of the office and preparation building. The wing where cloth is first made ready for scouring thus ends in the store where the finished goods are kept.
The One Building Registered for Its Form
Six of the seven Uzen Kenren buildings were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape. The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse alone was registered as a model of form, meaning the design of the storehouse itself was judged worth keeping, not only its place in the factory scene.
It measures 6 ken by 3 ken, about 11 meters by 5.5 meters. It is built in the thick-walled Dozo-zukuri manner over two storeys, with a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) entered from the gable end (Tsumairi) and laid in pantiles (Sangawara-buki). The walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster.
The year it was moved, 1940, is the same year the office burned and was rebuilt. Where the storehouse stood before is not recorded by either the national database or Tsuruoka City.
Stepped Plaster Doors and a King Post Truss
The entrance to the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse is in the east gable. It is closed by a pair of Kakegonuri doors: heavy plastered doors whose meeting edges are stepped so that they interlock when shut, leaving no straight gap for fire or wind to find.
Inside, each floor is a single boarded room, and the upper floor opens up to a King post truss. A traditional plastered storehouse outside with a Western roof frame inside is one of the things that set the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse apart.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums it up as a solidly built storehouse, singling out the kakegonuri doors at the entrance.
Visiting the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse belongs to a working factory and its interior is not open to visitors. As of 28 September 2026 no public tours were listed by the company or by Tsuruoka City.
It sits inside the site at the south end of the office and preparation building. Please stay on the public road and keep any photographs to what can be seen from outside.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse
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Q&A
- What is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse?
- It is the two-storey plastered storehouse of the Uzen Kenren silk works in Tsuruoka, used for keeping finished goods and attached to the south end of the office and preparation building.
- When was the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse built?
- In the late Taisho period, between 1919 and 1926. It was moved to its present position in 1940.
- What is special about the doors of the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse?
- The east entrance has kakegonuri doors: plastered double doors with stepped edges that lock into each other when closed.
- When did the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 3 December 2024, as registration number 06-0228. It is the only one of the seven buildings registered as a model of form.
- Can I visit the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse?
- No. It belongs to a working factory and its interior is closed; it can only be seen from outside the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse (羽前絹練株式会社土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21-5 Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, etc. |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 06-0228 |
| Year Designated | Registered 3 December 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 6 by 3 ken, building area 75 square meters |
| Owner | Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (working factory) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015138
- Cultural Heritage Online: Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/594882
- Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. and the seven buildings recommended for registration (Tsuruoka City, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.tsuruoka.lg.jp/bunka/rekishi/uzenkenren.files/uzenkenren.pdf
- Uzen Kenren Scouring Building and six others (Yamagata Prefecture, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www100.pref.yamagata.jp/documents/19483/touroku_uzen.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
