The Largest Roof on the Site
Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse (玉泉堂酒造南酒蔵, Gyokusendō Shuzō Minami-sakagura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri (earthen-walled) storage brewhouse built in 1926 in Takada, Yoro Town, Gifu Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 April 2014. With a footprint of 308 square metres it is the largest of the brewery's seven registered buildings.
It runs north to south along the southern side of the site, and its north gable joins the North Brewhouse. It measures 12 by 6 Ken (bays). This was where the sake brewed next door was finished and made ready to leave.
Why It Was Registered
The South Brewhouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs is specific about what happened inside. The fermented mash (moromi) made in the North Brewhouse was separated here into clear sake and lees, then refined, aged and bottled. Everything from pressing to the point of shipping took place under this one roof.
On the structure, the Agency points to a traditional Wagoya roof frame with doubled tie beams, which gives the building its wide clear span. A hall six bays across is roofed not with a Western truss but with an adaptation of Japanese carpentry, a good example of traditional methods being scaled up for industry at the end of the Taisho era.
What to Look For
In metres, taking one ken as about 1.8 metres, the building is roughly 22 metres long and 11 metres wide. It is 2 ken longer than the North Brewhouse, and the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse carries the biggest roof on the site.
In a doubled-beam wagoya frame, a second tier of beams sits on top of the first, and short posts carry the roof load down to them. Stacking the beams lets the carpenter span a wide hall without relying on a single enormous timber. The Rice Washing Plant, built the same year, uses a Western king post truss instead, so both systems were in use side by side on one site.
The junction with the North Brewhouse is worth picturing too. The north gable of this north-south building is joined onto the east-west fermenting hall, so the mash moved from one stage to the next through a single wall. The plan of the buildings follows the order of the work.
Visiting
The Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse lies on the far side of the site, behind the main house and the North Brewhouse, and is hard to see from the road. The interior is closed, and the brewery's website lists no tours (checked 24 September 2026).
The site is a working brewery and cannot be entered.
Directions and visiting conditions for the brewery as a whole are on the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gifu
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse
- [ Shirakawago & Takayama Old Town Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse used for?
- Storage and finishing: the mash from the North Brewhouse was separated into sake and lees, refined, aged and bottled here.
- How big is the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen-walled building of 12 by 6 ken, and its 308 square metre footprint is the largest of the brewery's seven registered buildings.
- How is the roof of the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse built?
- With a traditional wagoya frame using doubled tie beams to achieve a wide clear span.
- When was the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse built?
- In 1926, the same year as the North Brewhouse, to which it is joined at its north gable.
- Can you visit the Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse?
- No. The interior is closed, and the building sits at the back of the site where it is hard to see from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse (Gyokusendō Shuzō Minami-sakagura) |
|---|---|
| Location | 126 Takada Aza-Machi, Yoro-cho, Yoro-gun, Gifu Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 21-0226 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/4/25 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri (earthen-walled), 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 308 square metres, 12 by 6 bays |
| Owner | Gyokusendo Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Closed (inside the premises, hard to see from the road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Gyokusendo Sake Brewery South Brewhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009961
- Gifu Prefecture: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/page/12417.html
- Gyokusendo Shuzo official website
- https://www.gyokusendo.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
