The Shopfront with a Sake Barrel in Relief
Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store (勇駒酒造本社店舗, Isamigoma Shuzō Honsha Tenpo) is a two-storey timber shop building from the end of the Taishō era in Masuda, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, enlarged between 1935 and 1944 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.
It stands at the east end of the brewery's long, narrow lot with its front to the old road. The storehouses behind it were where sake was brewed and kept; the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store was where it was sold and where customers came in. Of the four listed buildings, it is the only one that faces the town.
Listed for Its Place in the Streetscape
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is the only one of the four Isamigoma buildings listed on that ground; the three storehouses were each registered as models of design.
What earns the store that place is its frontage. In the agency's words, the barrel-shaped signboard makes the building stand out along a street of merchant houses. Its registration number, 05-0086, opens the brewery's run of four consecutive numbers.
A Hip-and-Gable Main Block Behind a Flat Signboard Front
The Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store has two parts. At the back is a two-storey block under an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof. In front of it, on the east side, a single-storey shop projects toward the street, its face built up into a flat signboard wall in the style Japanese architects call kanban kenchiku, or "signboard architecture." The whole building covers 104 square meters under a sheet-metal roof.
The detail to look for is the Kote-e on that signboard: a sake barrel modeled in cement mortar with a plasterer's trowel. The agency's notes name cement mortar as the material, and Yokote City describes the barrel as the mark of a sake shop and the symbol of the building.
From across the road you can read the two levels clearly, the low signboard in front and the tall hipped roof rising behind it. The front faces east, so the raised barrel throws its sharpest shadows in the morning.
Visiting the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store
The front of the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store and its barrel relief can be seen from the street at any time without a booking. Photographs from the road are fine; just keep clear of the entrance and passing cars.
The old brewery buildings are used by the restaurant Kurawo, and the Masuda tourism association says visits require an advance reservation. The restaurant rents out an upstairs tatami room, but published sources do not say which rooms in which building it occupies, so ask how much of the store you can see when you book.
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Q&A
- When was the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the end of the Taishō era (within 1912 to 1925), with an extension added between 1935 and 1944.
- What is the sake barrel on the front of the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store made of?
- It is a kote-e relief worked in cement mortar with a trowel, placed on the signboard as the sign of a sake shop.
- Why is the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape: its barrel signboard makes it a landmark on a street of merchant houses.
- Can I go inside the Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store?
- The buildings are used by the restaurant Kurawo, and visits require an advance reservation. Ask when booking how much of the store is open. The front can be seen from the street without a booking.
- How do you pronounce Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store in Japanese?
- Isamigoma Shuzō Honsha Tenpo. Locally the site is known as the former Isamigoma Sake Brewery.
Basic Information
| Name | Isamigoma Sake Brewery Head Office Store (勇駒酒造本社店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 64 Nakamachi, Masuda, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 05-0086 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 14, 2002 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof, building area 104 square meters |
| Owner | Haba Koji Limited Partnership (合資会社羽場こうじ店) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street; interior used as a restaurant, visits by advance reservation |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Isamigoma Shuzo Honsha Tenpo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002598
- Cultural Heritage Online: Isamigoma Shuzo Honsha Tenpo
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/138368
- Yokote City: Former Isamigoma Sake Brewery (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/masuda/1001614/1004379.html
- Masuda Tourism Association: Open Facilities (in Japanese)
- https://masuda-matta.com/facility/
- Shunsai Miso Chaya Kurawo, official website (in Japanese)
- https://kurawo.net/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
