The Family Home at the Heart of the Brewery
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House (宮醤油店主屋, Miya Shōyu-ten Shuoku) is the principal residence of a soy sauce brewery in Sanuki, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, built in 1892 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007.
It is a single-storey timber house continuing directly south of the shop, 5 and a half by 6 bays, with a building area of 84 square metres, under a hipped pantile roof (Yosemune-zukuri, Sangawara-buki). It went up in the same year as the shop and the Side Storehouse, so business front and family home were built as one project.
Why It Was Registered
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House was registered on 31 July 2007 as number 12-0079, for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the central building of the residential part of the property.
Its plan tells you how a merchant household lived. At its core is an 8-mat reception room with a Tokonoma alcove, surrounded by four further tatami rooms, with the kitchen projecting to the south. On the east side there are two separate entrances, a formal one under its own small roof and a service door, keeping guests and everyday traffic apart.
What to Look For
The key to the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House is its setting. The shop adjoins it to the north, the Rear Storehouse for household goods stands to the west, the Taishō-era Detached Wing lies to the southwest, and the West Storehouse, full of brewing casks, sits across a courtyard to the south. A home surrounded on all sides by shop and brewery buildings is a clear picture of family and trade sharing one plot.
The roof marks the difference too. The shop and storehouses have simple gabled roofs, while the house slopes down on all four sides, setting the living quarters apart at a glance.
Visiting
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House is a private home: it belongs to the family's living quarters and is not open to the public, inside or out. When visiting the shop, please keep clear of the residential part of the property. Because it stands behind the shop, little of it can be seen from outside. The layout description on the Miya Soy Sauce Store page helps place it in relation to the other buildings.
Q&A
- Can you visit inside the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House?
- No. The Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House is the family's private home and is not open to the public. The adjoining shop is open during business hours.
- When was the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House built?
- In 1892, the same year as the shop and the Side Storehouse.
- What is the floor plan of the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House?
- An 8-mat reception room with a tokonoma alcove and four more tatami rooms, a kitchen projecting to the south, and separate formal and service entrances on the east side.
- What kind of cultural property is the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registered on 31 July 2007 as number 12-0079.
- Where on the property is the Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House?
- Directly south of the shop, with the Rear Storehouse to the west, the Detached Wing to the southwest and the West Storehouse across a courtyard to the south.
Basic Information
| Name | Miya Soy Sauce Store Main House (宮醤油店主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 247 Nishimasaishi, Sanuki, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/7/31 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5 and a half by 6 bays; building area 84 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Miya Shōyu-ten Shuoku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006522
- Cultural Heritage Online: Miya Shōyu-ten Shuoku
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/153125
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Miya Shōyu-ten Tenpo and Other Buildings
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-074.html
- Miya Shōyu-ten company profile and history
- https://www.miyashoyu.co.jp/profile.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
