An Edo-Period Brewer's Shop in Tatebayashi
The Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop (分福酒造店舗) is a two-storey timber shop of a sake brewer, dating from the late Edo period, in the south-west of the old castle town at Nakamachi, Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 16, 1998. It is now preserved and used as the Kezuka Memorial Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tatebayashi City Board of Education).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 61 square metres; registration number 10-0025, owned by Bunbuku Shuzo Co., Ltd.
The Kezuka Family and Bunbuku Sake
According to the Tatebayashi City Board of Education, Bunbuku Shuzo (the Kezuka family) was founded in 1825, and this shop has been in use since the end of the Edo period. Beside it is the Ryusui well, from which the brewery once made a sake called Ryusui; the good groundwater that feeds the Satonuma marshes helped brewing flourish in the castle town.
According to Gunma Prefecture's sake guide, the firm began brewing under the trade name Marukiya Honten and adopted the name Bunbuku Shuzo in 1954, after the lucky meaning of sharing good fortune and the Tatebayashi legend of the Bunbuku teakettle.
Why It Was Registered
The Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as one of the few genuine town houses left in the Tatebayashi castle town, built of high-quality timber and well preserved, conveying the atmosphere of its time.
It is also a component of the Japan Heritage story of Satonuma (Tatebayashi City Board of Education).
What to Look For
The Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop is a two-storey timber building under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) tiled roof, with an open ground floor and latticed upper floor typical of a town house (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tatebayashi City Board of Education).
The Ryusui well beside it gave its name to a former brand (Tatebayashi City Board of Education); together, shop and well tell the story of brewing in a castle town supplied with good water.
Visiting the Kezuka Memorial Hall
The Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop is preserved as the Kezuka Memorial Hall, but we could not confirm official opening days or hours. The address is 2626-1 Nakamachi, Tatebayashi City, on the town's historic walking path.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop
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Q&A
- When was the Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop built?
- In the late Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was Bunbuku Shuzo founded?
- In 1825; it took the name Bunbuku Shuzo in 1954 (Tatebayashi City Board of Education, Gunma Prefecture).
- What does the Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop look like?
- An open ground floor and latticed upper floor, typical of a town house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the Ryusui well?
- The well beside the shop that gave its name to the old Ryusui sake (Tatebayashi City Board of Education).
- When was the Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop registered?
- On January 16, 1998 (announced on February 12).
Basic Information
| Name | Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop (分福酒造店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2626-1 Nakamachi, Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/1/16 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 61 square metres |
| Owner | Bunbuku Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Preserved as the Kezuka Memorial Hall (check opening days) |
References
- Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000428
- Bunbuku Sake Brewery Shop (Japan Heritage portal)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4186/
- Bunbuku Shuzo (Gunma sake guide, Gunma Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.gunma.jp/site/sake/500072.html
Last verified: 2026.10.09