What the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse Is
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse (土屋家住宅麹蔵, Tsuchiya-ke Jūtaku Kōjikura) is a small clay-walled storehouse built between 1868 and 1882, in the early Meiji era, in Enzan-Mikkaichiba, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017. It stands southeast of the main house, about halfway along the eastern edge of the estate. It is single-storey and gabled in the Kirizuma-zukuri form, with a pantiled roof, and measures 7.1 metres by 3.0 metres, a building area of 22 square metres.
It was built for making koji: steamed rice or barley inoculated with the mould Aspergillus oryzae, the starter behind miso, soy sauce and sake. A door opens in the middle of the west wall, and windows are set in the north and east walls. What the Tsuchiyas used their koji for is not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs description.
It was renovated in 1985.
Why It Was Listed
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as a storehouse built for koji production that conveys the working life of the district's large farming households.
The point is the work. Plenty of farms had a rice store or a store for household goods. Putting up a separate building just for koji means the family was fermenting at a scale that justified it. A dedicated koji store is evidence of a household large enough to process its own food, not just grow it.
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse is the smallest of the three storehouses on the estate and the only one on a single floor: 22 square metres, against 28 square metres for the rice storehouse and 52 square metres for the bunko storehouse. The differences in size follow the differences in job.
What to Look For
Check which way the door of the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse faces. The building sits on the eastern edge of the estate, and its door opens in the west wall, facing inward toward the house rather than out toward the boundary. You can read the route the koji took, from the store into the household, from that one fact.
The windows are in the north and east walls, away from the strong southern and western sun. That suits a room for koji, where temperature and humidity decide the result, though no record has been found explaining the choice.
Next to the two-storey rice store and the stacked roofs of the main house, the small single-storey gable looks modest. Keeping the eastern edge of the estate low is part of how it contributes to the landscape.
Visiting
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse is closed inside. It is part of an estate that serves as both the Tsuchiya family's home and their winery, and the building cannot be entered.
The only way onto the estate is as a customer of the winery shop, which does not offer tours of the cellar buildings or vineyards. No viewing arrangement for the koji store was found (checked 24 September 2026). Ask the staff whether you may go where the exterior is visible and whether photographs are welcome.
Directions to the estate and the shop's opening conditions are on the Tsuchiya Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can I see inside the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse?
- No. It is part of a private home and winery and is closed. No viewing arrangements were found (checked 24 September 2026).
- What was the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse used for?
- Making koji, the mould-inoculated rice or barley used to start miso, soy sauce and sake. What the family used its koji for is not recorded.
- Where on the estate is the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse?
- Southeast of the main house, halfway along the eastern edge of the property. Its door opens in the west wall, facing into the estate.
- How big is the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse?
- It measures 7.1 metres by 3.0 metres, with a building area of 22 square metres, the smallest of the estate's three storehouses and the only single-storey one.
- When did the Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 2 May 2017, as register no. 19-0095, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse (土屋家住宅麹蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3313-1 Enzan-Mikkaichiba, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 19-0095 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2 May 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse, single storey, tiled roof, building area 22 square metres (7.1 by 3.0 metres) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed. Exterior only, within what the shop permits. |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Tsuchiya Family Residence Koji Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011500
- Koshu City, Registration of Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures), 2017 (Japanese)
- https://www.city.koshu.yamanashi.jp/docs/2017062600145/
- Kizan Winery, Winery and Shop Information
- https://kizan.co.jp/winery/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
