Kura (storehouse)

Kura (倉 or 蔵) are traditional Japanese storehouses. They are commonly durable buildings built from timber, stone or clay used to safely store valuable commodities.

Kura in rural communities are normally of simpler construction and used for storing grain or rice. Those in towns are more elaborate, with a structural timber frame covered in a fireproof, clay outer coating. Early religious kura were built in a "log cabin" style, whilst those used later to store gunpowder were constructed from stone.

Earthen kura, dozō have evolved a particular set of construction techniques in order to make them relatively fireproof.

The kura storehouse was specifically used to store precious items. Other sorts of storehouses such as outbuildings (naya) and sheds (koya) were used to store more mundane items. The first kura appear during the Yayoi period (300BC - 300AD) and they evolved into takakura (literally tall storehouse) that were built on columns raised from the ground and reached via a ladder from underneath. They were especially prevalent on the Ryukyu Islands and Amami Ōshima. During the Nara period (710-794) the government taxed the country in rice and kura were frequently used to store it. After the introduction of Buddhism to Japan kura were often used to religious items such as sutra.

In a domestic situation, traditional Japanese houses had limited storage space. Frequently the sliding fusuma used to divide up rooms were used for the same purpose to create storage space, otherwise there was limited storage under the kitchen and sometimes an attic space was formed in the roof. Although a few important possessions may have been displayed, available storage was frequently taken up by things like futons that were folded away each morning. In addition, many families possessed a wide array of accoutrements required for Japan's cultural festivals and these needed to be stored somewhere safe when not in use. The traditional houses were built of timber and prone to destruction by fire, so a more durable solution was required to store precious items.

Earthen kura often became a status symbol, with the greater number of kura indicating the greater wealth of the owner. This led some merchants to build three storey kura. Due to Kitakata's historic prominence of being the nation's "city of kura" and storeplace of preservable goods, it has been said by locals that "one who doesn't own a kura by the time they are 40 is not yet a man".

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Wikipedia