A Sawtooth Roof on the Left Bank of the Kiso River
The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory is a wool-weaving mill in Tamanoi, Kisogawa-cho, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, built around 1932 and entered on the national list of Registered Tangible Cultural Property (buildings) on 17 August 2020. It is a single-storey timber building roofed with clay pantiles, with a floor area of 563 square metres.
The building runs east to west across the northern part of the compound, and its roof rises into four triangular ridges, each counted as one span. The roof is carried on timber trusses so that few posts reach the floor, which leaves a wide, uninterrupted working surface. Inside there are no partitions. Looms stand clear of the posts, and yarn travels between them.
The company is said to have been founded in 1912. Like most weaving households in the district it first produced silk-and-cotton kasuri cloth, then shifted to wool in 1932 with the arrival of Schoenherr looms. The mill dates from that moment and began with two spans. Two more were added on the south side around 1945, and further bays went up to the east and west during the Showa 30s, from 1955 to 1964, bringing it to its present four.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion applied here is contribution to the historic landscape of the country. Eight further buildings on the same plot, among them the office, the main house, the detached residence, the men's dormitory, the former bathhouse and toilets, the earthen storehouse, the raw yarn store and the warehouse, were listed on the same day. The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory carries registration number 23-0549.
Western Aichi and southern Gifu together form the Bishu district, Japan's principal wool-weaving region, where sawtooth-roofed mills once stood among ordinary houses. Closures and rebuilding have thinned them out. What earned this mill its place on the register is not that the shell survives but that it still does the job it was built for, weaving suiting cloth for menswear.
Registration asks less of an owner than the stricter national categories do. Changes are notified rather than licensed, and alterations affecting up to a quarter of the exterior remain possible. That flexibility is what allows a working factory to enter the system at all.
North Light and Slow Looms
Clerestory windows fill the steep face of each sawtooth ridge, so daylight enters only from the north. Direct southern sun would shift the apparent colour of the yarn between morning, noon and late afternoon. For work that depends on judging colour by eye, steady north light functions as a piece of equipment. The even, shadowless quality of the interior comes directly from the shape of the roof.
On the floor stand Schoenherr looms, an early type of power loom in use here since 1932. The Ichinomiya Tourism Association reports that they run at roughly one fifth to one ninth of the speed of a modern loom. Because the yarn is never pulled hard, the finished cloth keeps a softness closer to hand weaving, which is why the mill's fabric reaches European tailoring houses.
From outside, count the ridges. The two original bays, the pair added after the war and the later side extensions differ slightly in ridge height and in the tone of their tiles, so the building keeps a legible record of when the business grew.
Visiting
The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory is a working production floor rather than a museum, and it is not open on a walk-in basis. According to the official Aichi Prefecture tourism site, the company will sometimes accept visitors to the shop floor if arrangements are made in advance. Requests should be made by telephone (0586-87-3323) at least two weeks ahead. Groups of two or three up to about ten are accepted, larger parties need discussion, and Saturdays and Sundays are non-working days when visits are not normally possible. This information was checked on 31 August 2026.
No published rule on photography could be found. Since the tour passes running machinery and finished cloth, ask when booking.
The nearest station is Tamanoi on the Meitetsu Bisai Line, about a two-minute walk. By car it is roughly 15 minutes from the Ichinomiya-nishi exit of the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway and about 25 minutes from the Ichinomiya interchange of the Meishin Expressway. From the public road outside the gate you can see the gable ends of the main house and the office, with the sawtooth ridges behind them. The yard itself is private property, so do not enter without permission.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory, and how do I arrange it?
- There is no regular opening, but the company sometimes accepts visitors by prior arrangement. Telephone 0586-87-3323 at least two weeks ahead. Groups of two or three up to about ten are accepted, and weekends are non-working days.
- How do I get to the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory from the nearest station?
- Tamanoi Station on the Meitetsu Bisai Line is about a two-minute walk away. By car, allow about 15 minutes from the Ichinomiya-nishi exit of the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.
- How many sawtooth bays does the factory have?
- Four. The mill began with two spans around 1932, gained two more on the south side around 1945, and was widened east and west between 1955 and 1964.
- When was the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory registered as a cultural property?
- On 17 August 2020, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 23-0549, together with eight other buildings on the same site.
- Is cloth still woven in the building?
- Yes. Schoenherr looms installed in 1932 continue to weave suiting fabric, so the mill remains in its original use.
Basic Information
| Name | Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Miyamae, Tamanoi, Kisogawa-cho, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2020 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, tiled roof, floor area 563 square metres |
| Owner | Not disclosed (privately owned) |
| Public Access | Normally closed; visits by prior arrangement |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013402
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kuzuri Woolen Industry Factory
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/380577
- Ichinomiya City: Cultural Properties in Ichinomiya
- https://www.city.ichinomiya.aichi.jp/katsuryokusouzou/hakubutsukan/1044092/1024202/1036232.html
- Aichi Now, official Aichi Prefecture tourism site: Kuzuri Woolen Industry Co., Ltd.
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/3024/
- Ichinomiya Tourism Association: Sawtooth Roofs of the Bishu Weaving District, vol. 1
- https://www.138ss.com/feature/detail/11/
Last verified: 2026.08.31