Where the Sake Was Finished
The Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse (鈴木家住宅火入れ蔵, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Hiiregura) is a sake storehouse built in the late Meiji era in Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2002. It is a single-storey earthen storehouse (Dozo-zukuri) of 121 square metres, 6 by 4 bays, running east to west under a gabled pantile roof with its entrance in the gable end (Tsumairi).
It stands southeast of the Main House near the gate on the eastern edge of the compound. A lean-to (Geya) one and a half bays deep projects from the west gable and housed an inspection room and similar spaces. For a family that has brewed sake since the Meiji era, it is one of the buildings that speaks most directly of the work.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as one of the elements that make up the compound of a sake brewery.
Hiire is the step in which pressed sake is gently heated to stop the microbes that would spoil it, a traditional form of pasteurization. This storehouse handled that final stage of brewing and kept the sake until it was shipped. If the Granary, where rice was stored, marks the start of the process, the Hiire Storehouse marks its end.
The inspection room in the lean-to matters too. A place to check the sake before it left was built right onto the storehouse, which shows that this was part of the brewery's working floor rather than a simple warehouse.
What to Look For
The Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse stands close to the east gate, exactly where finished sake could be stored and then carried straight out. North of it, across the path to the east gate, stands the Granary, so the two storehouses face each other on either side of the route.
Thick earthen walls kept the temperature inside steady and protected the contents from fire. At 121 square metres on a single floor it is the largest of the storehouses in the compound, and its long gabled roof, end-on to the gate, shapes the eastern side of the property.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse belongs to a private compound and is not open. The grounds are closed and there are no interior visits. It stands near the east gate, but whether it can be seen from the road has not been confirmed, so please do not try to look in.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse in Kamogawa?
- No. It is part of a private compound, and the grounds are closed.
- What does hiire mean at the Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse?
- Hiire is the gentle heating of pressed sake to stop spoilage, a traditional form of pasteurization. The storehouse handled this final step and stored the sake until shipment.
- When was the Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2002.
- How large is the Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen storehouse of 6 by 4 bays and 121 square metres, with a lean-to one and a half bays deep on the west gable.
- Where is the Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse in relation to the Granary?
- The Granary stands to its north across the path to the east gate, and the two together give the compound its brewery character.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse (鈴木家住宅火入れ蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1139-3 Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, single storey, tiled roof; building area 121 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Hiire Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002612
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Suzuki Family Residence Main House and others, Kamogawa (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-067.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
