Nagaham Nakano Kura

The Nagahama Nakano Kura, currently located on its original site near Lake Biwa, is a great example of a kura, the traditional Japanese storehouse. The double gables of this kura are quite unusual. This, in combination with the two-story, gabled format typical of most kura, lends this structure well to reuse in a variety of configurations. Kura were built with thick plastered clay walls to protect a family’s treasures from fire. Because kura have no hearths, the logs and timbers in this frame never saw smoke and have developed a beautiful natural patina.