What the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse Is
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse (土屋家住宅文庫蔵, Tsuchiya-ke Jūtaku Bunkokura) is a clay-walled storehouse in the Dozo-zukuri manner, 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 northwest of the main house and is joined to it by a covered passage. It measures 10 metres by 4.5 metres, covers 52 square metres, and has a pantiled roof.
A bunkokura is a storehouse for a household's valued possessions: books, utensils, furnishings. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this one first held books, bedding and tableware. It is the largest of the three storehouses on the estate.
It was renovated in 1985.
Why It Was Listed
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape; the Agency describes it as one of the buildings that make up the scene of the estate.
Its second claim is that you can trace its change of use. The Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse was built to protect books, bedding and dishes. Later the upper floor was removed from the northern half, and the building became a store for winemaking equipment. A farmhouse storehouse for domestic goods turned into a winery storehouse as the family business changed. The clay shell stayed; the floor and the contents were swapped.
Its link to the main house matters as well. This is not a detached store at the far end of the yard. It is reached from the house under cover, which fits a building that held things the family took out and put back every day.
What to Look For
The structural feature worth knowing about the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse is its roof framing, which uses noboribari, sloping rafter beams laid along the slope of the roof. Compared with horizontal tie beams across the loft, sloping beams leave more headroom in the upper floor.
With the upper floor gone from the northern half, the interior now appears to rise the full height of the building at the north end while keeping a loft at the south end. The Agency's record describes the structure as single-storey with a partial second floor, while its commentary calls it two storeys. The two descriptions read like the building before and after that change.
From outside, notice how closely it sits to the northwest corner of the main house, and where the covered passage meets its wall. The short distance between store and home tells you what kind of building it was.
Visiting
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse is part of a private home and a working winery, and it is closed inside. It is still used to store winemaking equipment.
The only way onto the estate is as a customer of the winery shop. The shop does not offer tours of the cellar buildings or vineyards, and no viewing arrangement for the storehouse 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 Bunko Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can I see inside the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko 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 kept in the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse?
- Originally books, bedding and tableware. After the upper floor was removed from the northern half, it came to hold winemaking equipment, which it still does.
- How is the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse connected to the main house?
- It stands northwest of the main house and is joined to it by a covered passage.
- How big is the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse?
- It measures 10 metres by 4.5 metres, with a building area of 52 square metres, the largest of the estate's three storehouses.
- When did the Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 2 May 2017, as register no. 19-0093, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse (土屋家住宅文庫蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3313-1 Enzan-Mikkaichiba, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 19-0093 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2 May 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse, single storey with partial 2nd floor, tiled roof, building area 52 square metres (10 by 4.5 metres) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed. Exterior only, within what the shop permits. |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Tsuchiya Family Residence Bunko Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011498
- 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
