Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse: A Small Two-Storey Storehouse of 1871
The Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse (ジョーキュウ醤油米蔵, Jōkyū Shōyu Komegura) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse built in 1871 in Daimyo 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 26, 2015. Its registration number is 40-0122.
It stands in the middle of the Jokyu site, directly west of the Brewing Storehouse, with its ridge running north to south. The building is Dozo-zukuri construction with a tiled roof and a building area of only 19 square meters. Among the six registered structures, only the Wakamiya Shrine and the Brewing Storehouse are older.
How the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse Is Built
The doorway of the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse opens south onto the courtyard and is sheltered by a Hisashi, a small pent roof, covered in copper sheet (Dōban-buki). Inside, the walls are lined with boards, the roof rests on Nobori-bari, sloping beams that follow the pitch of the roof, and the upper floor has windows to the north and south.
With a north-south ridge, those upper windows sit in the two gable ends. The footprint is small, but the sloping beams leave usable space on the upper floor.
Board lining on the inside of an earthen storehouse is a common way of keeping stored goods off the clay walls. Here the store is finished in white plaster outside and timber inside.
Why the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse Was Registered
The name says rice, but according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse now holds the tools used in brewing soy sauce. It keeps its original name while serving the brewery as a tool store, right next to the brewing store.
It was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency notes its part in the look of the brewery grounds, and the company points to its white walls as a feature of the site.
The compact two-storey building beside the large brewing store gives the middle of the site a clear contrast in scale.
Seeing the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse
It is used as a tool store, and there is no notice of the interior being open to the public.
The face to look for is the south front on the courtyard. Note the copper pent roof over the doorway against the white wall. Compare it with the Brewing Storehouse to the east: a small store on two floors beside a large one on a single floor.
Ask at the retail shop how far you may go on the site and whether you may take photographs. Directions and the visiting conditions shared by all six structures are on the Jokyu Soy Sauce page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse built?
- It was built in 1871. Of the six registered structures at Jokyu Soy Sauce, only the Wakamiya Shrine and the Brewing Storehouse are older.
- Does the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse still hold rice?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it now stores the tools used in brewing soy sauce.
- What should I look for on the outside of the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse?
- The doorway facing south onto the courtyard, with its copper-covered pent roof set against the white plaster wall. The upper floor has windows at the north and south ends.
- When was the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- It was entered on the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 26, 2015, under registration number 40-0122.
- Can visitors go inside the Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse?
- It is in use as a tool store, and there is no notice of the interior being open to the public. Ask at the retail shop about viewing the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Jokyu Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse (ジョーキュウ醤油米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-330-3 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 40-0122 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 26, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse construction, two storeys, tiled roof, building area 19 square meters |
| Owner | JOKYU Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No announced public opening of the interior (ask at the retail shop about viewing on site) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Jokyu Shoyu Komegura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010530
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Jokyu Shoyu Shikomigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010531
- Cultural Heritage Online: Jokyu Shoyu Komegura
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/283210
- JOKYU: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.jokyu.co.jp/history/property/index.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
