The Storehouse North of Its Neighbour
Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse is a two-storey dozo building of the late Meiji era at Ueno in Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, entered on the national register as Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008.
It stands north of the south storehouse and shares its alignment, 9.1 metres by 5.5 metres with the ridge running north to south, under a gabled kirizuma roof of sangawara pantiles. Its 50 square metres make it the second smallest of the registered buildings, after the shrine.
A tiled pent roof runs the full length of the east face, where a single doorway opens. Thick walls and as few openings as possible are the logic of the type, and Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse follows it exactly.
The Lattice at the Base
The walls are finished in white shikkui, and their lower band is namako-kabe: flat tiles set against the wall with the joints between them raised in rounded ridges of plaster, so a lattice runs across the foot of each elevation.
The pattern is practical as well as decorative. Rain splashing off the ground attacks the base of a plastered wall first, and tiling that band puts a hard surface where the damage would start. On the wet Boso coast the reasoning is easy to follow.
Below the tiling the surface changes again, to cement render, evidently a later repair. Read from the ground up, the wall moves through render, tiled lattice and white plaster in three bands, a record of maintenance written on the elevation.
A Deliberate Contrast
This storehouse and its southern neighbour line up on the same axis and share the same length. Their construction could hardly differ more. The south storehouse is a timber frame with its posts exposed; this one buries its posts inside thick earth walls.
Two storehouses, one compound, much the same date, two methods. What was kept inside presumably decided the choice: goods that fire or damp would ruin went behind earth, the rest behind boards.
The roof is carried on a wagoya frame and the walls rise from cut-stone footings, both shared with the south storehouse. The compound clearly had a standard way of starting a building.
Conditions for Seeing It
The interior of Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse is closed, and since it sits at the back of the compound behind the main house, there is no easy position for a frontal view of the outside either.
Looking left and deep into the site from the gate, a white gable shows beyond the south storehouse. Whether the tiled lattice is legible depends on where you can stand that day.
Directions to the compound and the shop's opening hours are collected on the Yoshino Sake Brewery page. Stay near the shop, and ask before photographing.
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Q&A
- What is the lattice pattern on Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse?
- It is namako-kabe: flat tiles fixed to the wall with the joints raised in rounded plaster ridges, giving both waterproofing and fire resistance at the base of the wall.
- When was Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji era, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- How large is Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse?
- It measures 9.1 metres by 5.5 metres, with a building area of 50 square metres.
- How does Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse differ from the south storehouse?
- This one has thick earthen walls that bury the posts; the south storehouse is a timber frame with posts left visible. Both are 9.1 metres long.
- Can Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse be visited?
- The interior is closed, and its position at the back of the compound limits how much of the exterior can be seen.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 571 Koshigoe, Ueno, Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/4/18 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 50 square metres |
| Owner | Yoshino Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior not open; exterior only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Yoshino Sake Brewery North Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007013
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Yoshino Shuzo Tenpo ken Shuoku hoka
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-057.html
- Yoshino Shuzo Co., Ltd., official site (Koshigoi)
- https://www.koshigoi.com
Last verified: 2026.09.17
