Built for Storage from the Start
Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse (両関酒造４号蔵, Ryōzeki Shuzō Yongō-gura) is a two-story earthen storehouse in the Dozo-zukuri manner at Ryozeki Sake Brewery in Maemori, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, built in 1916 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 20, 1996, under registration number 05-0005.
It has a building area of 297 square meters, with roof and walls finished in Shikkui lime plaster. Yuzawa City records that the four Ryozeki storehouses went up between 1892 and 1916, which makes No. 4 the last of them.
Designed as a Storage House, and Used as One
The Agency for Cultural Affairs states that the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse was designed from the outset as a storage house for sake and has been used that way ever since. It was not a brewing space converted later; it was planned for keeping sake.
Yuzawa City says all four storehouses now serve as storage, so in No. 4 the purpose on the drawing board and the present use are the same.
A Wider Span and Slightly Different Joinery
Like the others, it is an earthen storehouse with a Wagoya roof frame. What the Agency adds is that the No. 4 Storehouse is wider across (Harima) and that the way its members are cut and worked differs slightly.
No published source gives the actual span. The No. 1 Storehouse measures 7.85 meters across and the No. 2 Storehouse 7.86 meters, so No. 4 is wider than both. By building area, its 297 square meters come second only to the 416 square meters of No. 2, and exceed No. 1 at 178 square meters and No. 3 at 224 square meters.
A storage house is judged by how many vessels its floor can hold. No source links the wider span to the building's storage role, but it is a useful question to keep in mind when comparing the storehouses.
Eighty years after it was finished, the storehouse received number 05-0005 in the first round of registrations in 1996, the last of the five Ryozeki numbers. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation.
What to Look for in the No. 4 Storehouse
If you are ever inside, look at the length of the beams and at how the joints are cut, and compare them with the No. 1 and No. 2 Storehouses. That is where the slight difference the Agency describes should be checked.
Twenty-four years after the No. 1 Storehouse, and under the same master carpenter, the brewery built its last storehouse. The Ryozeki No. 4 Storehouse is where you can see, in the timber itself, what was changed.
Visiting the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse
Because it still holds sake, the No. 4 Storehouse normally stays shut. Only brewery tour groups go in, and those tours had stopped as of September 28, 2026.
The brewery rules out only the fermentation storehouse and says nothing either way about storage buildings, so mention the No. 4 Storehouse when you book. There is no published photography policy. Booking conditions and access are on the Ryozeki Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Akita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse
- [ Kakunodate Samurai District & Lake Tazawa Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse built?
- In 1916. It was the last of the brewery's four storehouses to be built.
- What is the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse used for?
- It was designed from the start to store sake and has always been used for that. Yuzawa City says all four storehouses now serve as storage.
- How is the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse different from the other storehouses?
- It shares the earthen construction and wagoya frame, but according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs it is wider across and its members are worked in a slightly different way.
- How large is the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse?
- Its building area is 297 square meters, second only to the No. 2 Storehouse among the brewery's storehouses. Its length and width are not given in published sources.
- Can I see inside the Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse?
- It is not open to the public. Brewery tours were suspended as of September 28, 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse (両関酒造４号蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-3-18 Maemori, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 05-0005 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 20, 1996 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 stories, plastered roof, building area 297 square meters |
| Owner | Ryozeki Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed (brewery tours currently suspended) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000015
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ryozeki Sake Brewery No. 4 Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/146625
- Yuzawa City: Ryozeki Sake Brewery Main Building and Four Other Buildings (Japanese)
- https://www.city-yuzawa.jp/site/bunkazai/2212.html
- Ryozeki Shuzo Co., Ltd. official website (Japanese)
- https://www.ryozeki.co.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
