A Brewing Storehouse Behind the House
The Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse (鈴木酒造店前蔵, Suzuki Shuzōten Maegura) in Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture, is an earthen-walled storehouse built in 1899 at a working sake brewery, and became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 April 2020. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a metal-sheet roof, covering 143 square metres, and its registered address spans more than one lot.
It is joined to the south side of the office and main house and to the north end of the middle storehouse, heading the chain of storehouses that runs south from the house. At about 19 metres long it is one of the larger storehouses on the Suzuki Sake Brewery site, and it was used for brewing: the mash was set to ferment inside.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse was registered as a model of design. Of the five storehouses registered at Suzuki Sake Brewery, it is the only one listed on that criterion.
What won it the listing is the decoration lavished on a working building. Black plaster outlines the door and windows in torii-shaped surrounds and elsewhere, giving a big white-walled storehouse sharp dark edges. It was built for work, but finished to be looked at.
The Kakegonuri Door
The highlight of the Suzuki Sake Brewery front storehouse is its main door, finished in Kakegonuri: the edges of the door and frame are built up in stepped layers of plaster that lock together when the door closes, keeping out fire and smoke. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out as especially worth seeing.
Look closely at how the stepped layers meet the black plaster frame. Each extra step means more work for the plasterer.
Do not overlook the length, either. The wall running south behind the house, some 19 metres of it, gives a sense of how much brewing went on here.
Visiting
The Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse is part of a working brewery and cannot be entered freely. The storehouses are shown on Suzuki Sake Brewery's paid, reservation-only tour, but the official description does not say which ones the route passes through. If you want to see the kakegonuri door, say so when booking, and check with the guide about photography.
Tour times, fees and directions are on the Suzuki Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Akita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse
- [ Kakunodate Samurai District & Lake Tazawa Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse built?
- In 1899. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 April 2020.
- What should I look for at the Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse?
- The kakegonuri plasterwork on its main door, and the black plaster surrounds on its door and windows.
- What was the Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse used for?
- Brewing: the mash was set to ferment inside. The building is about 19 metres long.
- Can I go inside the Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse?
- The brewery's paid tour, booked in advance, takes visitors into its storehouses; ask when booking whether the front storehouse is included.
- Where is the Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse and how do I get there?
- It is inside the Suzuki Sake Brewery compound in Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture. It adjoins the south side of the main house. Ugo-Nagano Station on the JR Tazawako Line is about a 10-minute walk away.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse (鈴木酒造店前蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9 Futsukamachi, Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/4/3 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys; metal-sheet roof; building area 143 square metres |
| Owner | Suzuki Sake Brewery Partnership (合名会社鈴木酒造店) |
| Public Access | Working brewery; ask when booking the paid tour whether it is included |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Suzuki Sake Brewery Front Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013211
- Hideyoshi, Suzuki Sake Brewery: Brewery Tours
- https://www.hideyoshi.co.jp/tour/
- Daisen City: Nationally Designated and Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.daisen.lg.jp/archive/contents-1884
Last verified: 2026.09.26
