The oldest brick on the site
Of the warehouses that Jomo Soko has kept by Maebashi Station, the brick ones came first. No. 3 Brick Warehouse dates to 1896, a year after the company was founded to hold the region's silk. It faces south from the north side of the yard, a long two-storey block of brick under a gabled, pantiled roof, 300 square metres in plan.
Cocoons and raw silk once filled it. Silk from the district, including thread from the Tomioka Silk Mill, passed through warehouses like this on its way to market.
Plain, careful brickwork
Registered in August 2025 as a model of its type, the building wears its brick detailing plainly and well. Cornice lines run around all four walls, one at floor level and one under the eaves, and a row of arched windows marches down the long facade.
Inside, the roof rests on a wooden king-post truss. With its neighbour, No. 2 Brick Warehouse, this is among the oldest brickwork on the site, a survivor from the years when Maebashi's silk trade ran at full stretch.
Visiting
Later repairs, around 1947 and again in 1989 and 2018, kept the warehouse in use rather than turning it into an exhibit. It remains a working building, and the interior is not open.
The brick ranks read best from the public street, where the arched windows and cornices line up along the wall. For the wider silk history, the Tomioka Silk Mill and the Maebashi Sericulture Memorial Hall welcome visitors indoors.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ebara Honke Jomo Warehouse No. 3 Brick Building
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- How old is No. 3 Brick Warehouse?
- It was built in 1896, making it one of the two oldest buildings on the Jomo Soko site, alongside No. 2 Brick Warehouse.
- What was kept here?
- Cocoons and raw silk, the goods Jomo Soko was set up to store. Silk from around Maebashi, including the Tomioka Silk Mill, moved through such warehouses.
- Can visitors enter?
- No. It is a private, working warehouse. The brick exterior, with its arched windows, can be seen from the street near JR Maebashi Station.
- What are the lines running along the walls?
- They are cornice mouldings (jabara), one at floor level and one below the eaves, a common way of articulating a long brick wall and part of why the building was recognised.
Basic Information
| Name | Ehara Honke Jomo Soko No. 3 Brick Warehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 25-2 Omotecho 2-chome, Maebashi, Gunma |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), reg. no. 10-0365 |
| Registered | 6 August 2025 |
| Structure | Two-storey brick, pantiled roof, 300 m² footprint |
| Period | Meiji 29 (1896); repaired c.1947, 1989 and 2018 |
| Owner | Jomo Soko Co., Ltd. (private) |
| Access | Private working warehouse; exterior visible from public street, interior not open |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 江原本家上毛倉庫三号煉瓦棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015403
- 群馬県 文化遺産課 — 群馬の文化財
- https://www.pref.gunma.jp/page/5190.html
- 前橋市 — 国指定文化財一覧
- https://www.city.maebashi.gunma.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/bunkazaihogo/gyomu/3/2/5104.html
Last verified: 2026.07.03