Rice below, household goods above
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 is a storehouse at a sake brewery in Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in 1907 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2018. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 146 square metres.
It stands at the northwest corner of the compound, next to storehouse No. 3. The ridge runs east to west under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof, a doorway opens at the centre of the south face, and the roof is carried on trusses.
Its two floors did different work. Rice was kept below, clothing and household gear above. The raw material of the business and the possessions of the family shared one building, one above the other.
Why it was listed
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 was listed under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country, with the registration number 07-0189.
It was built in the same year as storehouse No. 3, to the same building area, and the pair stand together at the northwest corner shaping the street scene. The interior has been altered; the exterior keeps its original form.
That the trade storehouse and the household storehouse were not separated says something about the business. Buying rice, brewing sake and running a household went on within the same walls.
Read it against storehouse No. 3
The interest of Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 lies less in any single detail than in its relation to storehouse No. 3. Two buildings of the same year and the same size stand side by side at the northwest corner, their ridge lines level, both gabled east to west, both on trusses.
The difference is where they open. No. 3 has its doorway on the west face; No. 4 opens at the centre of the south. Turning its back on the street and taking goods in from inside the yard shows that rice came in from the south.
Note too that storehouse No. 5 joins the north face of No. 4. Three buildings run from west to north, closing the western side of the compound in a continuous wall.
Visiting
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 stands at the northwest corner, so seeing the exterior means coming inside the grounds. The pairing with No. 3 reads best from within the yard.
The interior is open only on the guided tour, which lasts about 30 minutes; which storehouses it enters is for the guide to decide. Follow the guide's instructions about photography.
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 Storehouse No. 4
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 used for?
- Rice was stored on the ground floor and clothing and household goods on the floor above.
- How does Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 differ from No. 3?
- Both date from 1907 and both cover 146 square metres. The difference is the doorway: No. 3 opens on the west face, No. 4 at the centre of the south.
- Can Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 be seen from the street?
- It stands at the northwest corner, so you need to come inside the grounds. Its pairing with No. 3 reads best from within the yard.
- Is the interior of Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 open?
- Only on the guided brewery tour. The interior has been altered, while the exterior keeps its original form.
- When was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 listed?
- On 2 November 2018, under registration number 07-0189, together with the other eight items in the compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 |
|---|---|
| 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 | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 146 square metres |
| Owner | Suehiro Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from within the compound; interior only on a guided tour |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 4 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012474
- 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
