About the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill
The Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill (旧広島県西条清酒醸造支場精米所) is a single-story timber rice-polishing building from the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) in Saijo Kamiichicho, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 1, 2016.
Sake starts with polished rice, and this is where the prefecture's research station milled the grain for its trial brews. The building joins the main building by a covered corridor on its north side and runs north to south under a slate roof, covering 138 square meters. Kamoizumi Sake Brewery now calls it Aisenkan and uses it as an indigo-dyeing studio.
Higashihiroshima City dates it to about 1929. The national database gives only the broader early Showa range.
Why the Rice Mill Was Registered
The Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill was registered on August 1, 2016, number 34-0188, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation.
The feature the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is its profile. Although the building has only one story, its ridge steps up three times toward the south, each rise sized to the height of the milling machines inside. The machinery literally dictated the shape of the roof.
How far the rice is polished shapes the flavor of the finished sake more than almost any other choice. A research station that milled its own rice could control every stage from grain to fermentation tank, and this building was the first step in that chain.
What to Look For
Walk along the east or west side of the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill and watch the roof. Moving from the main building southward, it lifts like a staircase three times. The tallest bay at the south end is where the largest machine would have stood.
The walls are clad in horizontal boards, and the peaks of the Kirizuma-zukuri gables carry finials, small spiked ornaments borrowed from Western architecture. Putting finials on a purely functional mill shows that the prefecture wanted its whole compound, not just the office, to look modern.
Notice the covered corridor too. Linking the lab building to the mill under a roof let staff and rice move between them in any weather.
Visiting the Rice Mill
The Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill is a working indigo-dyeing studio, Aisenkan. Studio visits and dyeing sessions require advance booking through the inquiry form on Kamoizumi's website, giving your preferred date and group size. The brewery warns that it may not be able to accept a booking if the indigo vat is not in suitable condition.
Without a booking you can see only the exterior. If you come on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday when the Shusenkan café in the main building is open, you can look past the side of the main building to the stepped roof of the mill.
No photography policy is published. Inside the studio, ask the staff first so as not to interrupt their work.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill?
- It is now the Aisenkan indigo-dyeing studio. Studio visits and dyeing sessions must be booked in advance with Kamoizumi Sake Brewery; the exterior can be seen from the compound.
- Why does the roof of the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill rise in steps?
- The ridge was raised three times toward the south to fit the heights of the sake rice-polishing machines installed inside.
- When was the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the early Showa period (1926 to 1945); Higashihiroshima City dates it to about 1929.
- When was the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 1, 2016, under registration number 34-0188.
- What are the ornaments on the roof of the Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill?
- They are finials, Western-style spiked ornaments set on the gable peaks, matching the horizontal board cladding of the walls.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill |
|---|---|
| Location | 957 Saijo Kamiichicho, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 1, 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 138 square meters (1-story timber) |
| Owner | Kamoizumi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Used as the Aisenkan indigo-dyeing studio; visits and dyeing sessions by advance booking |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hiroshima Prefecture Saijo Sake Brewing Branch Rice Mill
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011195
- Higashihiroshima City: Former Hiroshima Prefectural Brewing Experiment Station, Historic Site Saijo Sakagura-gun (Japanese)
- https://www.city.higashihiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoikuiinkaishogaigakushu/3/11/bunkazai/town/saijo/sakaguragun/39658.html
- Kamoizumi Sake Brewery: Aisenkan (Japanese)
- https://www.kamoizumi.co.jp/aisenkan/index.html
- Higashihiroshima Tourism (Higashiru): Kamoizumi Sake Brewery (Japanese)
- https://higashihiroshima-kanko.jp/spot/kamoizumi/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
