From Rice Store to Soy Sauce Store
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse (宮醤油店旧米蔵, Miya Shōyu-ten Kyū-komegura) is an earthen storehouse built in 1907 at a soy sauce brewery in Sanuki, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007.
It stands immediately south of the Side Storehouse. The two-storey Dozo-zukuri building measures 5 by 2 and a half bays, with a building area of 47 square metres, under a gabled pantile roof entered from the long side (Hirairi). The roof is framed as a truss. On the west side a small roof projects over a single-leaf plastered door.
Why It Was Registered
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse was registered on 31 July 2007 as number 12-0076, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
As the name says, it was built to hold rice. Today it holds casks and serves as a soy sauce storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values exactly that shift, saying the building records how the brewery's facilities changed over time. The gap between what it was built for and what it does now is its history.
The East Storehouse next door went up in the same year, 1907. Together with the Side Storehouse, the three form a single north-south row along the east side of the property, all with truss roofs, a clear trace of the brewery adding storage in the late Meiji years.
What to Look For
The entrance of the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse is on the west side, sheltered by the projecting roof. That little canopy kept rain off goods being moved in and out, and together with the plastered door it forms the building's face.
Take it in as part of the eastern row. All three storehouses are two-storey earthen buildings, but their roles differ: the Side Storehouse belongs to the street front, while the Former Rice Storehouse and East Storehouse are back-of-house workspaces that give the plot its depth.
Visiting
The Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse stands inside the property and is not regularly open. Free brewery tours (booking ahead preferred) show visitors the production floor, but which storehouses are included is not published, so ask when you arrange your visit. Directions, opening hours and brewery-tour arrangements are covered on the Miya Soy Sauce Store page.
Q&A
- Can you see inside the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse?
- It is not regularly open. The brewery offers free tours, but check when booking whether this storehouse is included.
- When was the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1907, the same year as the East Storehouse next door.
- What is the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse used for now?
- Originally a rice store, it now holds casks as a soy sauce storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs cites this change of use as a record of how the brewery evolved.
- What kind of cultural property is the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registered on 31 July 2007 as number 12-0076.
- Where on the property is the Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse?
- On the east side of the property, immediately south of the Side Storehouse, with the East Storehouse beyond it.
Basic Information
| Name | Miya Soy Sauce Store Former Rice Storehouse (宮醤油店旧米蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 by 2 and a half bays; building area 47 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not regularly open; ask about brewery-tour coverage |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Miya Shōyu-ten Kyū-komegura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006519
- 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
