A family storehouse bearing the house crest
The bunko-gura of Sasa Masamune Shuzo was a small mud-walled storehouse at the northwest corner of the residence, at the southern end of the street before Ganjo-ji temple. Built in 1917 and remodeled in 1921, it was a two-story dozo with a gabled tiled roof, covering about 46 square meters. Joined to the main house by a covered passage, it served as a store for household goods and valuables.
A gable that stood for the house
Its lower wall was faced in stone, and its entrance carried a thick plastered door in the kakego manner. The roof used a truss frame, and on the gable end hung a tall single-leaf plastered door bearing the house's trade name and a lintel board. That gable, facing the street, stood as an emblem of the family within the townscape. Practical though the building was as a store for valuables, its street face was meant to show the standing of the house. On 14 October 2021 it was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property with the brewery buildings.
Lost in the fire of 2026
In the fire of 1 June 2026 the bunko-gura, joined to the main house by its covered passage, burned as well. The layout of the residence, several buildings linked by corridors, made sense for the flow of work and daily life, but the fire followed those same connections. The document storehouse was one of the six registered cultural properties destroyed. Under Article 59, paragraph 3 of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, removal of its registration is expected.
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Q&A
- What kind of storehouse was the bunko-gura?
- A store for household goods joined to the main house by a covered passage, a small two-story mud-walled building of about 46 square meters.
- Was there anything distinctive about its gable?
- Yes. A tall single-leaf plastered door on the gable bore the house's trade name and stood as an emblem of the family along the street.
- How old was it?
- Built in 1917 and remodeled in 1921.
- Does it still exist?
- No. It was destroyed in the fire of 1 June 2026, one of six registered properties lost.
Basic Information
| Name | 笹正宗酒造文庫蔵 (Sasa Masamune Shuzo) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kamisannomiya, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Category | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Date registered | 14 October 2021 |
| Registration no. | 07-0267 |
| Date of construction | 大正6年／同10年改修 (1917) |
| Structure | 土蔵造2階建、瓦葺、建築面積46㎡ |
| Owner | Sasa Masamune Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Present status | Destroyed in the fire of 1 June 2026; removal of registration anticipated |
| Access | Grounds under post-fire reconstruction; not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database (Sasa Masamune Shuzo)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013942
- Sasa Masamune Shuzo Co., Ltd. — Company profile
- https://www.sasamasamune.com/company.html
- Fukushima Minyu — Fire at the Sasa Masamune brewery, 1 June 2026
- https://www.minyu-net.com/news/detail/2026060113102350523
- Fukushima Minpo — Cultural properties and brewing equipment lost to fire
- https://www.minpo.jp/articles/-/146364
- Fukushima Minyu — Brewery to rebuild, one month after the fire
- https://www.minyu-net.com/news/detail/2026070108272151729
Last verified: 2026.07.04