What the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse Is
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse (土屋家住宅米蔵, Tsuchiya-ke Jūtaku Komekura) is a 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 behind the main house: 2 storeys, gabled in the Kirizuma-zukuri form, with a pantiled roof. It measures 7.6 metres by 3.6 metres, a building area of 28 square metres.
As its name says, it stored rice, specifically kosakumai, the rice that tenant farmers paid to a landowner as rent for the fields they worked. The building itself is evidence that the Tsuchiyas stood on the receiving end of that arrangement, as landlords.
Since the Showa 30s (1955 to 1964) its ground floor has been used to make brandy. It was renovated in 1985.
Why It Was Listed
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the window high on the north wall, which gives the facade its accent, and describes the building as a storehouse that enriches the historic scene of the district.
Its history tracks the family's trades. In the Meiji era it was a landlord's granary for rent rice. From the Showa 30s its ground floor made brandy. Distilling spirits in a room built to hold rent shows, inside a single building, how a farming estate became a winery.
Postwar land reform largely dismantled tenant farming, and many landlord families' rice stores lost their purpose. Rather than pulling this one down, the Tsuchiyas gave it a new job in the family business.
What to Look For
On the exterior of the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse, look first for the window the Agency mentions, set high in the north wall. A single opening high in a plain clay wall is enough to break the surface. Storehouses usually keep windows few, for fire and security, so each one does a lot of work.
Then note how narrow the plan is: 7.6 metres long but only 3.6 metres deep, less than half. From the gable end the building looks slim and tall; from the long side it looks low and stretched. It changes character as you walk around it.
Its position behind the main house matters too. It stands on the working side of the estate, away from the formal garden and zashiki gate, which suits a building for hauling rice in and out and, later, for making brandy.
Visiting
The Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse is closed inside. Its ground floor is still a working brandy room and cannot be entered.
The estate is the Tsuchiya family's home and winery, and the only way in is as a customer of the 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). The shop sells the family's own wines and brandy. 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 Rice Storehouse
- [ Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchiko Day Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I see inside the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- No. The ground floor is a working brandy room and the interior is closed. No viewing arrangements were found (checked 24 September 2026).
- What was the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse originally used for?
- For storing rent rice, the rice tenant farmers paid to the landowner.
- Since when has brandy been made in the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- Since the Showa 30s (1955 to 1964), when its ground floor was turned over to brandy production.
- How big is the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- It measures 7.6 metres by 3.6 metres, with a building area of 28 square metres, under a gabled roof on 2 storeys.
- When did the Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 2 May 2017, as register no. 19-0094, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse (土屋家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3313-1 Enzan-Mikkaichiba, Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 19-0094 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2 May 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 28 square metres (7.6 by 3.6 metres) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed. Exterior only, within what the shop permits. |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Tsuchiya Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011499
- 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
