Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse

An Earthen Storehouse with a Brick Base

The Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse (森九商店仕込蔵) is a brewing storehouse of 1913 in Araya Omotemachi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 3, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse roofed in sheet steel, with a building area of 101 square metres; registration number 05-0145.

An Earthen Storehouse with Western Touches

The Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse adjoins the factory on its east side (Agency for Cultural Affairs), at the far end of the row that runs from the street through the main house and the factory. A shikomigura, as it is called in Japanese, is the storehouse where the ingredients of a brew are set to ferment.

It is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 6 bays by 3, with a gabled roof in sheet steel (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The roof is carried on a Western-style Truss rather than a Japanese frame, and the outer walls are faced with brick at the base and iron sheet above. A pair of hinged doors opens on the east side, sheltered by a lean-to Geya 2 bays deep.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse for its contribution to the historic landscape, noting that together with the factory it gives the site the look of a working brewery. A traditional earthen storehouse fitted with a truss roof and a brick base shows a brewer of the early Taisho years taking up newer materials and methods.

What to Look For

The walls of the Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse come in two layers: brick at the bottom and iron sheet above (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Brick, which stands up to water and damp, wraps the base, and the sheet metal covers the rest.

The entrance faces east, away from the street, with the double doors under a lean-to 2 bays deep (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The storehouse turns its front toward the back of the lot, where the work went on.

Visiting

The Morikyu Shoten Brewing Storehouse is the last of the three buildings, at the east end of the lot beyond the main house and the factory as seen from Omotemachi street. No official information was found on interior access, visits or photography, and Akita City's map asks walkers not to enter private houses or grounds.