Brick and granite along the street line
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall is the boundary wall of a sake brewery in Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the late Meiji era between 1898 and 1912 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2018. It is of brick, 17 metres long and 2.7 metres high.
It runs along the street at the northeast corner of the compound. The body is laid in Stretcher bond stretcher bond, with granite at the base and for the Coping stone coping, and a service opening framed in stone at each end.
Between the wall and the main house lies a front garden. The wall sets a distance from the street and the garden occupies it, so that from the road the upper part of the main house shows above the brickwork.
Why it was listed
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall was listed under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country, with the registration number 07-0192.
The listing values the weight that brick and stone bring to a frontage otherwise made of Japanese buildings. Against the timber of the main house and the earthen walls of the new storehouse, the wall and the front gate answer in other materials.
Walls and gates are often listed alongside buildings. The outline of a site is part of what a street sees, and without it the scene is incomplete. Three of the nine items here are structures rather than buildings, which is a fair measure of how this compound was assessed.
Stretcher bond, and the openings at each end
Look first at the bond. Stretcher bond shows only the long faces of the bricks, so the joints run in fine horizontal lines. The brick chimney on the same site is laid in English bond instead, the two bonds chosen for different jobs.
Granite at the base and along the coping lays a pale band above and below the red of the brick. Over 17 metres those bands make the horizontal read strongly.
The service openings at each end of Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall are framed in stone, exactly as the opening in the north side wall of the front gate is. The four elements of the street frontage were resolved with one set of ideas.
Visiting
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall stands on the street and can be seen at any hour. Photography is unrestricted.
Look at it from an angle rather than head on. The joints of the stretcher bond and the granite bands then overlap, and the 17 metres of length becomes easier to feel, along with the relation between the front garden and the main house.
Opening times, closing days and directions for the compound as a whole are set out on the page for Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Can Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall be seen at any time?
- Yes. It stands on the street, and photography is unrestricted.
- How large is Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall?
- It is 17 metres long and 2.7 metres high, built of brick with granite at the base and along the coping.
- What bond is Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall laid in?
- Stretcher bond, showing only the long faces of the bricks. The brick chimney on the same site uses English bond instead.
- Does Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall have openings?
- One at each end, framed in stone, in the same manner as the opening in the north side wall of the front gate.
- When was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall listed?
- On 2 November 2018, under registration number 07-0192, together with the other eight items in the compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 159 Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick, length 17 metres, height 2.7 metres |
| Owner | Suehiro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Visible from the street at any time |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Brick Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012477
- Kaeigura tours (Suehiro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.)
- https://sake-suehiro.co.jp/museum
- History of Suehiro (Suehiro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.)
- https://sake-suehiro.co.jp/history
Last verified: 2026.09.17
