The Great Storehouse of Hakata Hyakunen-gura
The Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse (石蔵酒造主倉) is a large sake brewing storehouse of the mid-Meiji era (1883 to 1897) in Katakasu, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber building of 2 storeys with a tiled roof and a building area of 974 square metres; registration number 40-0062.
The brewery itself dates its present storehouses to 1870, earlier than the Agency's date; both are given here.
A Storehouse 39 Metres Long
The Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse stands north of the office and main house, its ridge running east to west (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a gabled roof of interlocking tiles, with lean-to aisles along the whole of its south and north sides; it measures 39 metres along the ridge and 26 metres deep including the aisles.
The gable ends are clad in weatherboarding, with the band beneath the eaves and other details finished in lime plaster. Inside, on two floors, a Truss roof spans a broad, open space (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes the Ishikura main storehouse as an example of a large-scale sake storehouse and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. At 974 square metres it is by far the largest of the three registered buildings, and the core of the site.
The 2011 Fire and Repairs
On October 8, 2011, nine months after registration, fire broke out at Hakata Hyakunen-gura (Ishikura Shuzo). The diary of Shozaburo Takagi, the architect of the rebuilding, records that the fire ran along the ridge beams and destroyed the main storehouse's roof frame and the posts just beneath it, while the upper floor and everything below survived. He suggests that clay bedding from the collapsing roof piled up on the upper floor and briefly shielded it.
The burned upper roof was rebuilt to a new form, and the aisle roofs on either side, which the fire had spared, were stripped of their old tiles and covered in new smoked tiles (Takagi's diary). Skylights in the new roof feed a "light well" over the middle of the shop floor. The brewery reopened on January 7, 2012.
What to Look For
Take in the sheer length, 39 metres east to west, and the width that the aisles on both sides add. At the gable ends the black weatherboarding gives way to white plaster around the band beneath the eaves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Indoors, a truss roof spans the open upper floor, but remember that the upper roof was rebuilt after the 2011 fire, so what you see overhead is the repaired structure. The light well above the shop dates from the same work (architect's diary).
Visiting
There are no tours of the brewing floor (Ishikura Shuzo). A shop inside the brewery, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Tuesdays and at New Year, offers tastings and sales, and parts of the storehouses host banquets and events. No rules on photography have been published.
Q&A
- When was the Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse built?
- The Agency dates it to the mid-Meiji era (1883 to 1897); the brewery dates its present storehouses to 1870.
- How big is the Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse?
- 39 metres along the ridge and 26 metres deep including the aisles, with a building area of 974 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Was the Ishikura main storehouse damaged by fire?
- Yes. A fire on October 8, 2011 destroyed its roof frame; the roof was rebuilt and the brewery reopened on January 7, 2012.
- Can I go inside the Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse?
- There are no brewery tours, but you can enter parts of the storehouses through the shop or at banquets and events.
- When was the Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse registered?
- On January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse (石蔵酒造主倉) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-3-6 Katakasu, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 974 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Parts open through the shop and events (no brewery tours) |
References
- Ishikura Sake Brewery Main Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008598
- History of Ishikura Shuzo (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/about/
- Rebuilding Diary of Hakata Hyakunen-gura (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/nikki/
- Rebuilding Diary, late October 2011 (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/nikki/np2.html
- Rebuilding Diary, late November 2011 (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/nikki/np5.html
- Rebuilding Diary, December 2011 (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/nikki/np6.html
- Rebuilding Diary, January 2012 (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/nikki/np9.html
- Brewery Shop (Ishikura Shuzo, Japanese)
- https://www.ishikura-shuzou.co.jp/liquor/shop/
Last verified: 2026.10.29
