Closing the Southern Edge
Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall is the stone boundary at Ueno in Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, its eastern half built in the late Meiji era and its western half in early Showa, entered on the national register as Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008.
It runs along the southern edge of the compound and meets the flanking walls of the gate at the centre. The eastern length is 27 metres, the western 25 metres, so more than 50 metres of stone face the road.
Gate and wall together are what make the frontage read as one composition. Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall is also the first part of the property anyone walking the road actually touches.
Different Stone on Each Side
The eastern half is built of local Boshu stone, cut in blocks and laid 8 courses high with a coping on top. Boshu stone is quarried on the Boso Peninsula, so this is material that came from close by.
The western half is Oya stone, also 8 courses of cut blocks under a coping. Bonding and course count match the eastern half exactly, but the stone itself comes from elsewhere.
The dates split the same way: late Meiji to the east, early Showa to the west. The eastern stretch came first and the western was added later, by which time a different stone was to hand. Since the coursing is identical, the change shows only in colour and grain, and walking the length with that in mind you will find the join.
Eight Joints Making a Horizon
Laying 8 courses draws 8 horizontal joints, and running them on for 27 and then 25 metres turns the whole face into a field of fine parallel lines.
The coping closes those lines off from above. The wall is not especially tall, yet it settles the road front, and the reason is that every horizontal runs true.
The listing criterion was contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the wall as creating a distinctive scene along the road, which is to say it was valued as a continuous surface rather than as so many blocks of stone.
Conditions for Seeing It
Facing the public road, Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall is the most freely accessible of the ten items. You can walk its whole length, and comparing the two stones simply means crossing from one side of the gate to the other.
The wall does not rise far above eye level, so the roofs of the halls and the upper shaft of the chimney clear it. Step back to the south side of the road and the wall makes a foreground for the whole compound in a single frame.
Directions to the compound and the shop's opening hours are collected on the Yoshino Sake Brewery page. This is a working village road, so choose a position for the camera that leaves it clear for traffic.
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Q&A
- What stone is Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall built of?
- Local Boshu stone to the east and Oya stone to the west, both laid as cut blocks 8 courses high under a coping.
- How long is Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall?
- The eastern stretch runs 27 metres and the western stretch 25 metres.
- When was Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall built?
- The eastern half dates from the late Meiji era and the western half from early Showa, the eastern stretch having been built first.
- Does Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall connect to the gate?
- Yes. Both stretches meet the flanking walls of the gate at the centre of the southern boundary.
- Can Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall be seen from the road?
- Yes. It fronts the public road and is the most freely accessible of the ten registered items.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall |
|---|---|
| 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 structure |
| Dimensions | East wall: stone, 27 metres long / West wall: stone, 25 metres long |
| Owner | Yoshino Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Fronts the public road; visible at any time |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Yoshino Sake Brewery Stone Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007017
- 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
