What Is the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing?
The Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing (ヤマキチ味噌醤油醸造元工場西棟, Yamakichi Miso Shōyu Jōzōmoto Kōjō Nishimune) is a single-story timber brewing factory in Ishiwaki, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, built in the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on February 27, 2023. It stands north of the main house and, at 319 square meters, is the largest of the brewery's five registered buildings. It was renovated in 2021.
The roof is a sheet-metal Kirizuma-zukuri gable, entered from the gable end in the Tsumairi manner. Two small raised vents, called kemudashi, sit on the ridge to let steam and hot air escape. They are the clearest sign from outside that this is a working brewery.
Of the two factory wings on the registered list, the Yamakichi Factory West Wing is the earlier. It was added behind a street-front compound that had been complete since around 1916.
Why It Was Registered
The Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing was listed as contributing to the historic landscape of the country, under registration number 05-0238. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits its long ridge with shaping the townscape of a district built on brewing.
Inside, the space is divided by task. The west end holds a filling room for soy sauce and a Kojimuro, the warm, humid room where koji mold is grown on steamed rice or soybeans, the step that begins every batch of miso and soy sauce. A boiler room sits at the east end, and between them lies a large open work floor. Filling, koji-making and heating, three separate jobs, share one roof.
The Council for Cultural Affairs describes the building as a vast brewing factory framed with a King post truss roof. The Western truss let the builders span a wide work floor with few interior posts.
What to Look For
The most interesting part of the Yamakichi Factory West Wing is the roof framing over the work floor. The Agency calls it an irregular structure based mainly on the king-post truss. Yurihonjo City explains that short posts are set on top of the trusses, borrowing from the traditional Japanese way of framing a roof. A Western triangle and a Japanese post-and-beam idea are combined in a single roof.
Outside, look at the front wall. According to Yurihonjo City, it carries a modern mortar decoration of triangles and rectangles, giving the factory a Western, Showa-era face that contrasts with the Japanese-style main house and shop.
The Agency's database has a photograph of the west wing seen from the southwest and another of its roof framing. If you get a chance to see the exterior, look for the pair of vents along the ridge.
Visiting the Factory West Wing
The Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing is a working factory. The brewery accepts visits by reservation only, booked by phone on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for up to 15 people (checked September 28, 2026). Ask when booking whether the tour includes this building, whether you can see the roof framing, and whether photos are allowed.
The west wing stands deep in the lot north of the main house and does not face Ishiwaki Street. You cannot enter the grounds without a booking.
Directions to the brewery and booking details are on the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing built?
- In the early Showa period (1926 to 1945). It was renovated in 2021.
- What happened inside the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing?
- A soy sauce filling room and a koji room are at the west end, a boiler room at the east end, and a large work floor in the middle.
- What is special about the roof of the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing?
- It is an irregular frame based on the king-post truss, with short posts set on top of the trusses in the manner of traditional Japanese roof framing.
- Can I visit the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing?
- Brewery visits are by reservation, booked by phone on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (checked September 28, 2026). Ask whether this building is included.
- Why is the Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was listed for contributing to the historic landscape; its long ridge helps define the look of this old brewing district.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing (ヤマキチ味噌醤油醸造元工場西棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 8-1 Aza Ishiwaki, Ishiwaki, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 05-0238 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 27, 2023 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber building, sheet-metal roof, building area 319 square meters |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Brewery visits by reservation (ask whether included); does not face the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Factory West Wing
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014450
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs recommendation of November 18, 2022, full list (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/93791601_03.pdf
- Yurihonjo City: Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery, History and Culture Walk (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002098/1002113/1009732/1009747.html
- Akita Fermentation Tourism: Yamakichi Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery (Japanese)
- https://hakko.akita-kenmin.jp/business-person/253
Last verified: 2026.09.27
