What the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse Is
The Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse (ヤマモ味噌醤油醸造元彦四郎蔵, Hikoshiro-gura), a former rice storehouse, is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse built between 1926 and 1945, in the early Showa era, on a south-facing corner lot in Iwasaki, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, and became Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 December 2024. It stands across the road to the west of the main brewery site, covers 53 square metres, has a sheet-metal roof and was extended in the middle Showa years.
It is the only one of the eight listed buildings outside the brewery's own plot, which is why its address is 134 Iwasaki rather than 124. At 53 square metres it is also the smallest of the eight.
Hikoshiro was the name of the fourth head of the brewing family. The brewery's chronology notes that by 1927 he sat on the board of a local sake company and on the town council. The storehouse that held the rice for miso and soy sauce bears his name.
Why It Was Listed
The Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the way it forms a historic scene together with the brewery buildings: a single storehouse across the road extends the brewery to both sides of the street.
It is built with an okiyane, a separately framed roof set on top of the storehouse body. The gap between roof and walls lets air move and protects the body even when the roof is damaged. The building is gabled, in Kirizuma-zukuri form, and entered from the gable end, Tsumairi.
The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster above a skirt of sasarako shitami-ita: overlapping horizontal boards held by battens notched to follow the laps, which shields the base of the wall from splashing rain.
What to Look For
Count the tiers of the hachimaki, the band of thickened plaster under the eaves. On the long sides there are two, on the gable ends three. The extra tier goes on the gable facing the street, giving the front its weight.
Inside, the ground floor has an earth floor, Doma, and the upper floor is boarded. The roof is carried on a king post truss, a Western triangulated frame built around a central post, the same system used in the brewery's workshop. The Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse pairs a traditional storehouse exterior with a Western roof frame.
White plaster, a boarded skirt, stacked bands under the eaves. Standing on a corner, the storehouse lets you compare two elevations from two streets.
Visiting
The exterior of the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse can be seen from the road in front of the brewery. On its south-facing corner lot, both the front gable and the long side are visible from public streets, and the difference in the plaster bands is easy to check there.
The interior is not open to the public. According to the brewery's chronology the storehouse has been used to accommodate guests since 2026, and it is not on the factory tour route (checked 25 September 2026).
Directions to the site and the general conditions for visiting are set out on the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Akita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse (Former Rice Storehouse)
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Q&A
- When was the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse built?
- In the early Showa era, between 1926 and 1945, with an extension in the middle Showa years.
- Where is the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse?
- On a corner lot across the road to the west of the main brewery site, which is why its address is 134 Iwasaki, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, not 124.
- Where does the name of the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse come from?
- From Hikoshiro, the fourth head of the brewing family, who according to the brewery's chronology served on the board of a local sake company and on the town council by 1927.
- Can I go inside the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse?
- No. Since 2026 it has been used to accommodate guests and it is not part of the factory tour. The exterior can be seen from the street.
- Why is the Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape, forming a historic scene together with the brewery buildings.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse (Former Rice Storehouse) (ヤマモ味噌醤油醸造元彦四郎蔵（旧米蔵）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 134 Iwasaki, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 05-0254 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/12/03 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof, building area 53 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from public roads. Interior closed. |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Hikoshiro Storehouse (Former Rice Storehouse)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015126
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs recommendations, 19 July 2024
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/94084201_01.pdf
- Yuzawa City: Yamamo Miso and Soy Sauce Brewery Shop and Main House and seven other buildings
- https://www.city-yuzawa.jp/site/bunkazai/6175.html
- YAMAMO / TAKAMO & Corp.: Company
- https://yamamo1867.com/company/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
