The storehouse that closes the western edge
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 is the storage building of a sake brewery in Nisshincho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the late Taisho era between 1919 and 1926 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 219 square metres.
It takes up the whole western edge of the compound and meets storehouse No. 4 at its north end. The ridge runs north to south under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof, and two openings are set at either side of the east face. No part of it touches a street, and every opening looks inward.
The floors were used differently: finished sake below, brewing tools above. This was not a building where sake was made but one where it waited.
Why it was listed
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 was listed under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country, with the registration number 07-0190.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as indispensable to the trade and as conveying how a traditional brewing establishment was put together. A brewing hall alone does not explain sake. Only when the rice store, the brewing hall and the storage building stand together does the set work as a brewery.
It is among the youngest buildings on the site. The late Taisho date places it at the end of the rebuilding that followed the fire of 1906, the last of the nine to join the group.
Three storehouses in a row, two openings on the east
The thing to look at in Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 is where it meets storehouse No. 4. Its north face joins that building, and the line of storehouses runs from west round to north. The western side of the compound is closed by their walls, and nothing of the yard shows from outside.
The two openings on the east face are placed apart. Sake left from the ground floor and tools from the floor above, so the paths in and out were kept separate.
The north-south ridge simply follows the shape of the site. Filling the whole western edge with one building was how the brewery found the volume that storage demanded.
Visiting
Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 lies deep on the western side and cannot be seen from the street. To view the exterior you need to come inside the grounds.
The interior is open only on the guided tour, which lasts about 30 minutes, and which storehouses it enters is for the guide to decide. The building is still used for storage, so what can be shown depends on the day.
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. 5
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What is Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 for?
- Storage. Finished sake was kept on the ground floor and brewing tools on the floor above.
- When was Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 built?
- In the late Taisho era, between 1919 and 1926, which makes it among the youngest of the nine listed items here.
- Can Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 be seen from the street?
- No. It sits deep on the western side, so you need to come inside the grounds.
- Does Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 adjoin storehouse No. 4?
- Yes, at its north face. The storehouses run from west round to north and close that side of the compound.
- What is the registration number of Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5?
- 07-0190. All nine items in the compound were listed together on 2 November 2018.
Basic Information
| Name | Suehiro Sake Brewery Kaeigura Storehouse No. 5 |
|---|---|
| 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 219 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. 5 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012475
- 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
