A storehouse turned into an office
Saiya Sake Brewery Office (斎彌酒造店事務所) is a single-storey earthen-walled building of the early Shōwa era, from 1926 onwards, in the Ishiwaki district of Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.
It covers 68 square metres. The roof is sheet iron, and among the storehouses on this plot, all of them tiled, that makes it the odd one out. It stands northwest of the shop and residence, immediately north of the pickle storehouse.
The building went up as a storehouse and was later fitted out inside as an office. National records say it had been a tool store; the city of Yurihonjo describes it as a former rice-polishing house. The two accounts of its earlier use differ, but both agree on the conversion itself. A structure of thick earthen walls and small openings was turned into a room for desks and ledgers.
The office of a company named after its founder
Saiya Sake Brewery Office was entered on the register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 September 1998, number 05-0020, for its contribution to the historic character of the landscape.
The company name Saiya comes from Saitō Yatarō, who started brewing here in October 1902. He served as mayor of Honjō town and is remembered for buying the site of the former Honjō castle with his own money and presenting it to the town. He was a businessman who also held public office, and this building housed the clerical work of the firm that carries his name.
The other ten registered structures on the plot were all built to hold things: rice, sake, bottles, pickles, papers. Saiya Sake Brewery Office is the only one made for people working. Taken together, the eleven show how many different kinds of space a brewing business needed, from storing raw material through shipping to running the accounts.
Look at the iron roof
Compare the roofs across the compound. The residence and shop, the rice store, the west and middle storehouses are all tiled. The gate is sheathed in copper. Saiya Sake Brewery Office alone is roofed in iron sheet.
Corrugated iron was becoming cheap and widely available in provincial Japan during the early Shōwa years. When a storehouse was being reworked into an office, a material lighter and easier to handle than clay tile was a reasonable choice. Decisions about material record when a building was altered and on what reasoning.
The office also sits partway up the slope. North of Saiya Sake Brewery Office stands the kettle house, and beyond that the west storehouse. The site climbs the foot of Mount Shinzan through about six metres of fall, and brewing moves downhill from the rice-polishing house at the top. The office is placed between the working buildings and the road.
Visiting
Saiya Sake Brewery Office is still in daily use by Saiya Shuzōten and cannot be entered. The company's brewery tours are suspended as well, so viewing is limited to the exterior from the public road. The grounds are private, and entering or photographing inside them requires permission. Unless you have business with the firm, it is best not to disturb work in progress.
Hakkōkōji Taya, the brewery's own shop and cafe, stands across the street and opens 10:00 to 17:00, closed Thursdays and Sundays. Its gallery screens video of the brewery for visitors who apply in advance.
From Ugo-Honjō Station on the JR Uetsu Main Line, walk north across the Koyoshi River for about 1.5 kilometres, roughly 20 minutes. The city loop bus stops at Okeyachō. Enquiries go to Saiya Shuzōten on 0184-22-0536.
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Q&A
- What was Saiya Sake Brewery Office before it became an office?
- An earthen storehouse, converted internally at a later date. National records call it a former tool store, while the city describes it as a former rice-polishing house, so the accounts differ on its earlier use.
- Why is the roof of Saiya Sake Brewery Office different from the others?
- It is sheet iron. Every storehouse here is tiled and the gate is copper, so this is the only iron roof, most likely reflecting the early Shōwa date of its conversion.
- Where does the name Saiya come from?
- From Saitō Yatarō, who founded the brewery in October 1902. He later served as mayor of Honjō town and gave the former castle site to the town after buying it himself.
- Can Saiya Sake Brewery Office be visited?
- No. It remains in use as the company's working office, and brewery tours are suspended, so only the exterior can be seen from the road.
- Where is Saiya Sake Brewery Office on the site?
- Northwest of the shop and residence, just north of the pickle storehouse, with the kettle house beyond it and the west storehouse further north again, partway up a slope that falls about six metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Saiya Sake Brewery Office |
|---|---|
| Location | 53 Ishiwaki, Ishiwaki, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | 1998 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey earthen-walled structure, sheet iron roof, floor area 68 square metres |
| Owner | Saiya Shuzoten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the public road, interior closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Saiya Shuzoten Office
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000614
- Yurihonjo City: Saiya Shuzoten
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002098/1002113/1002126/1003557.html
- Yurihonjo City Board of Education: Saiya Shuzoten (PDF)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/557/1003557_002.pdf
- Saiya Shuzoten Co., Ltd.: About the brewery
- https://www.yukinobosha.jp/aboutus/
- Hakkokoji Taya, operated by Saiya Shuzoten Co., Ltd.
- https://hakkokoji-taya.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.08