Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse

A Long Relief-Society Storehouse on the Brewery Grounds

Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse (新政酒造旧感恩講東籾蔵及び米蔵) is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse from the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912) on the grounds of Aramasa Sake Brewery in Omachi, Akita City, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014.

The listing covers two buildings joined end to end: an east granary for momi, rice still in its husk, and a rice storehouse. "Former Kannonko" (Kannonkō) marks them as the property of a relief society founded in the castle town of Kubota, today's Akita, in the late Edo period to help the poor. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse as a large surviving storehouse of that society.

Two Storehouses, 36 Meters End to End

Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse stands toward the east end of the northern edge of the brewery site. The granary and the rice storehouse both run east to west and are set in a single line, 36 meters long overall, with a combined footprint of 277 square meters, the largest of the five listed buildings at the brewery.

The gabled pantile roof is of the Okiyane type, raised on its own supports above the earthen walls. The walls are finished in white lime plaster, ringed by a drip ledge and a Hachimaki band, and the doorway and window are set in the east gable.

Look under the eaves for the hōzue, short diagonal braces that reach out from the wall to carry the roof edge. The West Granary uses the same bracing, a detail shared by the two Kannonkō buildings.

Why Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse Was Registered

Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse holds registration number 05-0203 and was listed for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. It was registered on the same day as the brewery's three brewhouses, yet it was never built for making sake.

Husked rice keeps longer than polished rice, which makes it the natural reserve against famine. A granary and rice store joined into one long building gives a sense of how much grain the society handled. When the building passed to the brewery is not recorded in the agency's description.

Seeing Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse

Aramasa Sake Brewery Former Kannonko East Granary and Rice Storehouse stands inside the working brewery, and its interior is not open to visitors. It is known to sit on the northern edge of the site, but which faces can be seen from outside the grounds could not be confirmed.

If it is in view, follow the 36-meter side wall and the row of diagonal braces beneath the eaves. Take photographs only from the public road and keep clear of brewery work and vehicles.