An Old Storehouse Still Making Koji
Northeast of the central storehouse in the Hinomaru Jozo compound, in the Masuda district of Yokote, stands the Koji-gura. It is a two-storey earthen building with a gabled iron-sheet roof, entered from the gable end, its walls finished in plaster. What makes it more than a museum piece is its job: the brewery uses it as its koji room, the warm chamber where steamed rice is cultured with mould to begin the making of sake. A building raised in the early Meiji era still holds a living part of the process.
Why It Was Registered
The Koji-gura was placed on the national register of tangible cultural properties in 2002, one of several brewery buildings recognised together. It runs about 16 metres along its ridge but is narrow across, and its roof is carried in a distinctive way: a thick base ridge-piece supports short struts that in turn hold an upper ridge-piece. In its essentials the framing follows the same pattern as the other storehouses on the site, which points to a compound built by hands trained in one shared tradition.
Hinomaru Jozo has brewed here since 1689 and is the only sake maker left in Masuda, a town that grew wealthy on trade and lined its lots with earthen storehouses like this one.
How to Experience It
Because the Koji-gura is in daily use for production, it is not open to visitors, and the same holds for the brewery's other working buildings. The way to encounter Masuda's storehouse craft up close is at the Bunko-gura, the brewery's ornamental interior storehouse, shown by reservation for a small fee. The on-site shop sells the Mansaku no Hana range, and the surrounding preservation district offers many more houses to look through along the old street.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Koji-gura?
- No. It is in active use as the brewery's koji room and is closed to the public. The Bunko-gura is the storehouse open for tours.
- What is koji, and why does it need a special room?
- Koji is steamed rice cultured with a mould that converts starch to sugar, an essential step in brewing sake. The process depends on steady warmth, which the thick-walled storehouse helps maintain.
- How old is the building?
- It dates from the early Meiji era and was registered as a tangible cultural property in 2002.
- What can I see nearby instead?
- The Bunko-gura by reservation, the brewery shop, and the many open storehouses along Masuda's Nakananukamachi street.
Basic Information
| Name | Hinomaru Jozo Honsha Koji-gura (Koji Storehouse) |
|---|---|
| Location | 114-2 Nanukamachi, Masuda-machi, Yokote, Akita |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 14 February 2002 |
| Structure | Earthen-walled, two storeys, iron-sheet roof; building area 111 sq m |
| Built | Early Meiji era |
| Owner | Hinomaru Jozo Co., Ltd. |
| Access | Not open to the public (in use as the brewery's koji room) |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties — Hinomaru Jozo Honsha Koji-gura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002594
- Masuda Tourism Association — Townscape and Interior Storehouses
- https://masudakanko.com/uchigura/
- Hinomaru Jozo Co., Ltd. — Official Site
- https://hinomaru-sake.com/
Last verified: 2026.07.03