The Brewing Storehouse
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (寒北斗酒造仕込蔵) is a sake brewing storehouse of 1934 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 1934, a single-storey Dozo-zukuri structure with a tiled roof, and a building area of 272 square metres; registration number 40-0136.
The youngest of the three registered buildings at Kanhokuto Sake Brewery (寒北斗酒造, Kanhokuto Shuzō), it stands in the southeast corner of the site. A brewing storehouse, or shikomigura, is where steamed rice, koji and water are combined and the mash is left to ferment: the heart of any sake brewery.
A Wall Made for the Street
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse is a large building, 20 metres long and 14 metres deep, with a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in pantiles, set in the southeast corner of the site (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster above a skirting of vertical boards. The windows are staggered in a zigzag rather than set in a row, and the Agency credits this with giving the facade its character; it keeps a big plain wall from looking blank.
Because it sits on the street, the wall is part of the townscape, a point the Agency also makes in its listing.
Why It Was Registered
The Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse was registered in 2015 as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as a brewery building that shows modern development and adds to the streetscape.
Compare it with the late Edo Ansei Storehouse on the same lot and you can see how far the brewery grew by the early Showa period: 272 square metres against 199 square metres, and a span that doubles from 7 metres to 14 metres.
A Hall Spanned by a King-Post Truss
The roof of the Kanhokuto Brewing Storehouse is carried on a King post truss: a central post and diagonal struts form triangles that span the full 14 metres, leaving the interior free of posts (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A clear floor is the easiest place to line up fermentation vessels. Traditional plastered earthen walls outside and a Western-style truss inside: that pairing is what the Agency means when it describes the building as showing modern development.
Seeing the Building
The Kanhokuto Brewing Storehouse stands in the southeast corner of the site, and its plastered wall and staggered windows can be seen from the street. No open days for the interior are announced, and the prefectural tourism site lists brewery tours as suspended.
There is no official information on how the building is used today. Ask the brewery before entering the premises or taking photographs.
Q&A
- When was the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse built?
- In 1934, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- How big is the Kanhokuto Brewing Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse 20 metres long and 14 metres deep, with a footprint of 272 square metres.
- What should I look for at the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse?
- The plastered walls with a board skirting and the staggered windows outside; inside, a king-post truss spans the hall without posts.
- Can you see the Kanhokuto Brewing Storehouse from the street?
- Yes. It stands in the southeast corner of the site and its walls face the street. The interior is not open and brewery tours are suspended.
- When was the Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse registered?
- On August 4, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (寒北斗酒造仕込蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Single-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 20 metres long, 14 metres deep, building area 272 square metres |
| Owner | Kanhokuto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No interior opening announced; exterior visible from the street |
References
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010707
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/237561
- Kanhokuto Sake Brewery Ansei Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010706
- Kanhokuto Shuzo (Crossroad Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture Tourist Association, Japanese)
- https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/spot/10941
Last verified: 2026.10.29
