What Is the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse?
The Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse (石孫本店２号蔵, Ishimago Honten Nigōgura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri brewing storehouse built in 1910 in Iwasaki, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 11, 1998. It stands at the north end of the four storehouses that line the road at the Ishimago Honten miso and soy sauce brewery, covering 165 square meters under a sheet-metal roof.
Its Munafuda, or ridge tablet, records the date and names Saito Hikoemon as master carpenter, the same builder as every other registered storehouse here, working for the second Ishikawa Magozaemon. When it was registered, the Agency for Cultural Affairs described it as a storehouse used for fermenting mash.
Today it is the soy sauce house. After the No. 1 Storehouse next door collapsed in 2011, the brewery rebuilt the interior of the No. 2 Storehouse and moved soy sauce brewing into it.
Why the No. 2 Storehouse Was Registered
The Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse was registered as a model of good design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs noted that it closely matched its neighbor, the No. 1 Storehouse, in exterior design and size, right down to the use of a Western-style truss in the roof. At the time of registration the two stood side by side as a matched pair, the No. 1 Storehouse of 1904 and the No. 2 Storehouse of 1910.
A truss frames the roof with triangles, which carry the load out to the walls and let a builder span a wide interior without posts along the beams. The same carpenter had used a traditional Wagoya frame for the No. 3 Storehouse in 1897 and the No. 4 Storehouse in 1900, which is why Yuzawa City values the Ishimago storehouses as a record of one builder's changing technique.
With the No. 1 Storehouse gone, the No. 2 Storehouse is now the oldest trussed storehouse left at Ishimago Honten, the earliest surviving example of Hikoemon's work after the switch.
Taking Over from the No. 1 Storehouse
The No. 1 Storehouse was where Ishimago Honten brewed its soy sauce. The company says it had been weakened by earlier tremors, then loaded with snow that could not all be cleared during the heavy winter of 2011, and finally brought down by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11.
Soy sauce brewing moved one door south, into the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse. The brewery rebuilt the building as its new soy sauce house and says younger brewers have since used it to develop new products. A storehouse that had resembled the No. 1 Storehouse in form and framing ended up inheriting its work as well.
Brewing storehouses carry their own resident yeasts, and the brewery asks visitors not to eat natto on the day of a tour to protect that environment. Converting the No. 2 Storehouse meant rebuilding that living environment in a new place.
Visiting the No. 2 Storehouse
The exterior of the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse can be seen from the road in front of the shop. It is the northernmost of the four storehouses facing the street, with the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 Storehouses continuing to the south.
The only way inside is the brewery's reserved tour. The tour follows the soy sauce and miso process through the storehouses, but the buildings it enters are not published, so ask when booking whether the No. 2 Storehouse is included (checked September 24, 2026). Tours are not accepted on some days, depending on the brewing schedule.
Rules on photography inside are not stated, so ask your guide. Directions, fees and booking are covered on the Ishimago Honten page.
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Q&A
- When was the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse built?
- In 1910, according to its ridge tablet. The master carpenter was Saito Hikoemon.
- What is the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse used for today?
- Soy sauce brewing. After the No. 1 Storehouse, the old soy sauce house, collapsed in 2011, the brewery rebuilt the No. 2 Storehouse to take over. At registration it was a storehouse for fermenting mash.
- What kind of roof frame does the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse have?
- A Western-style truss. With the No. 1 Storehouse gone, it is the oldest trussed storehouse remaining at Ishimago Honten.
- Can the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse be seen from the road?
- Yes. It is the northernmost of the four brewing storehouses that face the road.
- Can I go inside the Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse?
- Only on the brewery's reserved tour. Which storehouses the tour enters is not published, so ask when booking (checked September 24, 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse (石孫本店２号蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 162 Iwasaki, Iwasaki, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 05-0037 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 11, 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof, building area 165 square meters |
| Owner | Ishimago Honten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road. Interior on reserved tours only (confirm whether this storehouse is included) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000935
- Ishimago Honten No. 2 Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/147545
- Ishimago Honten Uchigura and Four Other Buildings (Yuzawa City Cultural Properties)
- https://www.city-yuzawa.jp/site/bunkazai/2215.html
- Company History (Ishimago Honten)
- https://ishimago.jp/rekishi.htm
- History and Production Method (Ishimago Honten)
- https://ishimago.jp/history/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
