A Guest Room off the Main House
The Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room (鈴木酒造店上座敷, Kami-no-zashiki) in Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture, is a formal tatami room built in the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918) at a working sake brewery, and was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 April 2020. It is a single-storey timber building with a sheet-iron roof, covering 44 square metres.
It joins the northeast corner of the brewery's office and main house, its ridge running east to west. The main house handled business; this room was for guests, set a step apart from the everyday life of Suzuki Sake Brewery.
Why It Was Registered
The Kaminozashiki was registered as a model of design. Of the seven buildings registered at Suzuki Sake Brewery, only this room and the front storehouse were listed on that criterion.
What earned it the status is how much care is packed into a small building. The room is a single space of twelve tatami mats, with a Tokonoma alcove, shelves and a writing bay along the north wall, the full furniture of a formal Zashiki. Prized timbers, Japanese yew and ebony among them, were chosen for effect, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a reception room fitted out with evident relish.
Its footprint, 44 square metres, is exactly that of the document storehouse in the same compound.
Deep Eaves, Light Edges
On the east and south sides of the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki, deep eaves shelter two kinds of veranda: an itaen, a boarded walkway, and a tsuchien, an earth-floored strip left unboarded, a form found in houses in snowy regions.
Look up at the eaves and you notice how widely the Taruki rafters are spaced. Spreading them out keeps the overhang from looking heavy despite its depth. One room, wrapped on two sides by veranda and eaves: the plan is spare, which pushes the choice of materials to the front.
Inside, the prized woods gather around the alcove, shelves and writing bay. Published sources do not say which members are yew and which are ebony, so ask if you get the chance.
Visiting
The Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room is part of the family residence and is not open to the public. The official tour description does not say whether it is shown, so ask when you book whether the reception room can be included, and check with the guide about photography.
It sits at the northeast corner of the main house, toward the old Kakunodate road. 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 Kaminozashiki Reception Room
- [ Kakunodate Samurai District & Lake Tazawa Tours ]
Q&A
- What is the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room?
- A formal reception room of the early Taisho period attached to the northeast corner of the brewery's main house: a single twelve-mat room with an alcove, shelves and a writing bay.
- How is the name of the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room read?
- The Japanese name, 上座敷, is read kami-no-zashiki, following the reading given in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- Can I see the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room on a brewery tour?
- The official tour description does not mention it. Ask when booking whether the reception room is included.
- Why was the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room registered?
- It was listed as a model of design. Only it and the front storehouse, of the seven buildings registered at Suzuki Sake Brewery, were registered on that criterion.
- Where is the Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room and how do I get there?
- It is inside the Suzuki Sake Brewery compound in Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture. It adjoins the northeast corner 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 Kaminozashiki Reception Room (鈴木酒造店上座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9 Futsukamachi, Nagano, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/4/3 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single-storey; sheet-iron roof; building area 44 square metres |
| Owner | Suzuki Sake Brewery Partnership (合名会社鈴木酒造店) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; ask when booking the brewery's paid tour whether it is included |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Suzuki Sake Brewery Kaminozashiki Reception Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013209
- 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
