A twin to the oldest warehouse
No. 2 Brick Warehouse stands at the eastern edge of the Jomo Soko yard, facing west. Like No. 3 across the site, it was raised in 1896, in the first years of a company founded to store Maebashi's silk. It is a brick block of two storeys, 335 square metres, under a gabled, pantiled roof, with its entrance on the long side.
Cocoons and raw silk were its cargo. The building is a plain record of the years when Maebashi's silk market ran hot and warehouses like this went up to hold the trade.
Orderly rather than showy
Registered in August 2025 as a model of its type, No. 2 shows the same careful brickwork as its neighbour. Cornice lines wrap all four walls, and a long run of arched windows gives the west front its rhythm. The result is orderly rather than showy.
A wooden king-post truss carries the roof. Together with No. 3, this is counted among the oldest and most valuable brick warehouses on the site, and a marker of Maebashi's Meiji-era prosperity.
Visiting
Repairs around 1947, in 1990 and again in 2009 have kept the warehouse working. It is not a museum piece; the interior stays closed, and the building earns its keep.
From the public street the west wall reads clearly, its arched windows in a line. Anyone drawn to the silk story can visit the Maebashi Sericulture Memorial Hall or the Tomioka Silk Mill, both open to the public in a way the warehouse is not.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ebara Honke Jomo Warehouse No. 2 Brick Building
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- When was No. 2 Brick Warehouse built?
- In 1896, the same year as No. 3. The two are the oldest buildings on the Jomo Soko site.
- What did it hold?
- Cocoons and raw silk, the goods the company was founded to store during Maebashi's silk boom.
- Can the public go inside?
- No. It is a private, working warehouse. Its brick west wall and arched windows are visible from the street near JR Maebashi Station.
- How is it different from No. 3?
- The two are close in age and form. No. 2 sits on the east edge of the yard facing west, while No. 3 faces south from the north side; both share the same cornices and arched windows.
Basic Information
| Name | Ehara Honke Jomo Soko No. 2 Brick Warehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 25-2 Omotecho 2-chome, Maebashi, Gunma |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), reg. no. 10-0364 |
| Registered | 6 August 2025 |
| Structure | Two-storey brick, pantiled roof, 335 m² footprint |
| Period | Meiji 29 (1896); repaired c.1947, 1990 and 2009 |
| 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 — 江原本家上毛倉庫二号煉瓦棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015402
- 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