The Ansei Storehouse
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse (寒北斗酒造安政の蔵) is a two-storey earthen-walled sake storehouse of 1857 in Okumamachi, Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 4, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records construction in 1857 with alterations in the early Meiji period, a two-storey Dozo-zukuri structure with a tiled roof, and a building area of 199 square metres; registration number 40-0135.
It stands behind the shop and main house of Kanhokuto Sake Brewery (寒北斗酒造, Kanhokuto Shuzō), and its name appears to come from the Ansei era in which it was built. Of the three registered buildings, it is the oldest with a firm construction date.
A Storehouse 22 Metres Long
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse is a long, narrow two-storey Dozo-zukuri building, 22 metres long and 7 metres deep. It has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in pantiles, with its doorway cut into the long side and sheltered by a lean-to roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
At more than three times as long as it is wide, it draws a long wall behind the main house, which is why the Agency calls it "very long".
Because the entrance sits on the long side rather than the gable end, people and casks moved in and out along the length of the building, under the cover of the lean-to.
Why It Was Registered
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse was registered in 2015 as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency notes that it is a late Edo brewery storehouse whose date of construction is known.
Brewery buildings tend to be extended and rebuilt again and again, so an Edo-period storehouse with a secure date is a valuable fixed point. Altered in the early Meiji period, it has nonetheless come down as a building of 1857, and that is where its value lies.
An Open Ground Floor and a Ridge-Beam Roof
According to the Agency, the ground floor of the Ansei Storehouse is one large space with no interior posts, spanning the full 7 metres.
The roof frame works like this: short beams set on the posts carry an Ushibari, a heavy beam running parallel to the ridge, and sloping Nobori-bari beams rest on it and follow the pitch of the roof down to the walls.
There is no Western truss here, only Japanese carpentry, yet it still clears the floor of posts. Set beside the brewing storehouse of 1934 on the same lot, which uses a truss to span 14 metres, the Ansei Storehouse shows how brewery construction changed over nearly 80 years.
Seeing the Building
The Kanhokuto Ansei Storehouse stands behind the shop and main house, and no open days for the interior are announced. The prefectural tourism site lists brewery tours as suspended.
Set back from the road behind the main house, it is only partly visible from outside. Ask the brewery before entering the premises or taking photographs.
Q&A
- When was the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse built?
- In 1857, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, with alterations in the early Meiji period. The name appears to come from the Ansei era of its construction.
- How big is the Kanhokuto Ansei Storehouse?
- It is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse 22 metres long and 7 metres deep, with a footprint of 199 square metres.
- What is notable about the structure of the Kanhokuto Ansei Storehouse?
- The ground floor has no interior posts. The roof is carried on a heavy beam parallel to the ridge, supported by short beams on the posts, with sloping beams resting on it.
- Can visitors enter the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse?
- No interior opening is announced and brewery tours are suspended. It stands behind the main house, so contact the brewery before visiting.
- When was the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse registered?
- On August 4, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse (寒北斗酒造安政の蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1036-1 Okumamachi, Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/8/4 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 22 metres long, 7 metres deep, building area 199 square metres |
| Owner | Kanhokuto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No interior opening announced; brewery tours suspended |
References
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010706
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285020
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010707
- Kanhokuto Shuzo (Crossroad Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture Tourist Association, Japanese)
- https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/spot/10941
Last verified: 2026.10.29
