What Is the Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well?
The Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well (白牡丹酒造延宝蔵井戸, Hakubotan Shuzō Enpōgura Ido) is a stone well of the mid-Edo period (1661 to 1751) at Enpogura in Saijo Honmachi, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017. It lies southeast of the Enpogura South End Building and consists of the well itself and a stone well house over it.
The well curb is a hexagon of dressed stone, 97 centimeters on each side. The well house has its back built up as a solid stone wall, two posts at the front corners, and a roof that is also made of stone. The registered area is 2.7 square meters. The well was repaired in the mid-Showa years (1946 to 1965).
Unlike the Enpogura buildings at lot 709, the well is registered under lot 709-1, and the national database gives no owner for it.
Why Enpogura Well Was Registered
Enpogura Well was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, number 34-0236, for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes its heavy stone well house as a landmark of the brewing trade.
Sake takes a great deal of water. Hakubotan explains on its website that underground water from Mount Ryuo rises in the brewery wells as moderately hard water with almost no iron, and that well water is used at every stage, from washing rice to diluting the finished sake. At a brewery the well mattered as much to the business as the storehouses.
When Enpogura became a component of the Saijo Sake Breweries Historic Site on February 21, 2024, Higashihiroshima City listed this mid-Edo well among its parts.
What to Look For
The feature to notice at Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well is a well house built entirely of stone: posts, back wall and roof. It is a small structure, but the single material gives it real weight. Closing the back and leaving only the front open fixes the side from which water was drawn.
The curb is hexagonal and measures 97 centimeters a side. Treated as a regular hexagon, that makes it about 1.9 meters from corner to corner. The Tenpogura well curb measures 66 centimeters a side, so the Enpogura well is clearly the larger of Hakubotan's two registered wells.
Look at how the stones meet. A hexagonal plan means dressed blocks joined at the corners, and those six corners define the outline of the curb. Built in the mid-Edo period and repaired in the mid-Showa years, the well may well mix stonework from different periods.
Visiting Enpogura Well
Enpogura Well stands inside Enpogura, which Hakubotan Sake Brewery keeps closed as a rule because of the age of its buildings. The public is not admitted, so you cannot walk up to the well. Higashihiroshima City also lists Enpogura as a non-public part of the historic site.
Whether the well house can be seen from the road depends on conditions on site. If it is visible, look from the public road only, and do not enter the premises or touch the well.
To taste Hakubotan's well water, go to the front of the head office, where Myoga no Isui is offered for drinking. Exhibition room hours and directions from Saijo Station are on the Hakubotan Sake Brewery group page.
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FAQ
- Can I see the Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well up close?
- No. The well is inside Enpogura, which is closed to the public as a rule.
- How old is Enpogura Well?
- It dates from the mid-Edo period (1661 to 1751) and was repaired in the mid-Showa years (1946 to 1965).
- What does the well house of Enpogura Well look like?
- It has a stone back wall, two posts at the front, and a roof that is also made of stone.
- How large is Enpogura Well?
- The hexagonal curb of dressed stone is 97 centimeters on each side, and the registered area is 2.7 square meters.
- When was Enpogura Well registered as a cultural property?
- On June 28, 2017, under number 34-0236. Enpogura also became part of the Saijo Sake Breweries historic site in 2024.
Basic Information
| Name | Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well |
|---|---|
| Location | 709-1 Saijo Honmachi, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered June 28) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, area 2.7 square meters (well curb 97 centimeters per side) |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the national database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no entry to the premises) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011825
- Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura Well (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/247121
- Hakubotan Sake Brewery Enpogura, Historic Site Saijo Sake Breweries (Higashihiroshima City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.higashihiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoikuiinkaishogaigakushu/3/11/bunkazai/town/saijo/sakaguragun/39656.html
- Our Approach to Brewing (Hakubotan Sake Brewery, Japanese)
- https://www.hakubotan.co.jp/make/
- Brewery Tours (Hakubotan Sake Brewery, Japanese)
- https://www.hakubotan.co.jp/sakagura/
Last verified: 2026.09.16
