A large modern Japanese building on a street corner
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House is the residence and office block of a sake brewery in Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in 1909 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2018. It is a timber building of 2 and 3 storeys with a tiled roof and a building area of 414 square metres.
It occupies the northeast corner of the compound, where streets run along the east and north sides. The front faces east. The western part is a three-storey dwelling with a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof, the eastern part a two-storey office under a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof. Two sections of different height and different roof form run together as one building, which is how a brewing family housed home and business under a single roof.
The building was enlarged in 1922. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records its date as 1909, with the extension of 1922. That falls in the rebuilding years after a city fire in 1906 destroyed most of the storehouses, when the street frontage took the shape it still has.
Why it was listed
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House was listed under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. Its registration number, 07-0185, is the first of the nine given to this compound.
What the listing recognises is a large modern Japanese building set squarely against a castle-town street. Standing in what was the merchant quarter below Wakamatsu Castle, it anchors the face that Kaeigura turns to the road.
Registration differs from designation as an Important Cultural Property. The system, introduced in 1996, assumes that owners will protect such places by keeping them in use. A building that still houses the brewery's offices fits that assumption without strain.
A hall of 36 mats, and where Hideyo Noguchi stood
On the upper floor of the office wing is a hall of 36 Tatami mats. For a merchant house that is a generous room, built for receiving buyers and holding meetings.
In September 1915 the bacteriologist Hideyo Noguchi came here on his first return from the United States in sixteen years. Sakae Kobayashi, his guardian, was the younger brother of the third Inokichi's wife, and Noguchi's own younger brother Seizo worked at the brewery. The group photograph taken in this room that day is still held by the company.
From outside, the thing to look for is the seam between dwelling and office. The eaves drop where the three-storey west meets the two-storey east, and from the far side of the road that step reads clearly. The contrast between the gable end on one side and the hipped roof on the other is also easiest to see from there.
Visiting
The exterior of Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House can be seen from the east and north streets at any hour, and there is no restriction on photography.
The interior includes working offices, so it can be seen only on the guided brewery tour. A tour lasts about 30 minutes, and the guide decides which buildings it enters and how far. Ask on the spot before taking photographs indoors.
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 Main House
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I visit Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House, and can I go inside?
- The exterior can be seen from the east and north streets at any time. The interior is open only on the guided brewery tour, which lasts about 30 minutes; you cannot walk in on your own.
- When was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House built?
- In 1909, with an extension added in 1922. It belongs to the rebuilding that followed the city fire of 1906.
- How is Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House constructed?
- It is a timber building: a three-storey dwelling on the west, a two-storey office on the east, under tiled roofs. The building area is 414 square metres.
- What is the large hall on the upper floor used for?
- It is a reception room of 36 tatami mats, built for meeting buyers and holding gatherings. Hideyo Noguchi visited it in September 1915.
- When was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House listed?
- On 2 November 2018, under registration number 07-0185, together with the other eight items in the compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 159 Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, 2 and 3 storeys, tiled roof, building area 414 square metres |
| Owner | Suehiro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street at any time; interior only on a guided tour |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012470
- 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
