A Storehouse Parlor Dated by Its Ridge Tablet to 1886
Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse (勇駒酒造本社南蔵, Isamigoma Shuzō Honsha Minamigura) is a Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse built in 1886 in Masuda, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002. It was built as a kura-zashiki, a storehouse with a reception room inside, and is now used for storage.
The Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse stands at the back of the lot, just south of the West Storehouse. With a footprint of 81 square meters, it is described by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as the smallest of the brewery's buildings.
A Known Date and a Known Builder
Of the four Isamigoma buildings, the South Storehouse is the only one whose construction can be pinned to a single year. A Munafuda, the wooden tablet fixed in the roof at the framing ceremony, survives and records 1886 as the year of building and Ishida Tsunezō as the master carpenter.
The Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse was registered as a model of design under registration number 05-0089. Small as it is, the agency notes, it has details not found in the other storehouses.
Its use changed over time. A storehouse built to receive guests later had its upper floor removed and became a place to keep sake.
Cambered Beams with an Adzed Finish
The feature the agency highlights in the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse is in the roof framing: cambered beams (mukuri-bari) that arch gently upward, finished to look like adze-dressed timber, with the tool marks left showing on the surface.
The registered description is "earthen storehouse, single storey with a partial second storey," under a sheet-metal roof. The agency's notes also say the upper floor was removed, and the registration does not make clear how much of a second level remains.
Inside, the thing to look at is the curve of the beams overhead. If you are shown in, find where each beam rises highest and how the adze marks run along its surface.
Visiting the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse
The Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse sits at the back of the lot and can hardly be seen from the street. The former brewery is used by the restaurant Kurawo, and the Masuda tourism association says visits require an advance reservation.
Published sources do not say whether the interior of the South Storehouse is included in visits. It is still used for storage, so ask when booking whether you can go in and whether photography is allowed.
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Q&A
- When and by whom was the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse built?
- Its ridge tablet dates it to 1886 and names Ishida Tsunezō as the master carpenter.
- What was the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse originally used for?
- It was a kura-zashiki, a storehouse with a reception room. The upper floor was later removed and it now serves as a storehouse.
- What should I look for in the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse?
- The cambered roof beams with an adze-dressed finish, a detail the Agency for Cultural Affairs says is not found in the brewery's other storehouses.
- How big is the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse?
- Its footprint is 81 square meters, the smallest of the brewery's buildings.
- Can I see inside the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse?
- Visits to the former brewery are by advance reservation, but published sources do not say whether the South Storehouse is shown. Ask when you book.
Basic Information
| Name | Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office South Storehouse (勇駒酒造本社南蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 64 Nakamachi, Masuda, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 05-0089 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 14, 2002 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, 1 storey with partial 2nd storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 81 square meters |
| Owner | Haba Koji Limited Partnership (合資会社羽場こうじ店) |
| Public Access | At the back of the lot, hardly visible from the street; interior access unconfirmed (visits to the former brewery by advance reservation) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Isamigoma Shuzo Honsha Minamigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002601
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Isamigoma Shuzo Honsha Nishigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002600
- Masuda Tourism Association: Open Facilities (in Japanese)
- https://masuda-matta.com/facility/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
