A small inner storehouse that was moved to make way
The Tozo, or earthen-walled inner storehouse, of Kamoizumi Shuzo is the most compact of the brewery's registered buildings, a two-storey structure of only about 16 square metres. Its walls date to the late Meiji period, roughly 1898 to 1912, but it does not stand where it was first built.
Records hold that it originally sat against the west side of the main house. When the New Zashiki went up around 1953, the storehouse was shifted whole to its present spot by the traditional technique of house-moving, or hikiya, in which a building is jacked up and rolled to a new site rather than demolished.
Why it carries cultural-property status
The storehouse was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 1 August 2016 as part of the historic setting of the compound. A dozo, built with thick earthen walls finished in plaster, was the fireproof strongroom of a Japanese household or business, used to guard valuables and stock against fire and theft.
This one is deliberately closed. The ground-floor east face carries two small iron-barred windows and little else; the rest is solid wall. Along the north face runs a single course of mizukiri-gawara, projecting tiles that throw rainwater clear of the plaster below, and this line is the building's chief exterior accent.
What to notice on a visit
The inner storehouse is a working part of a private brewery and is not open inside. It rewards attention from without: its small scale and near-windowless bulk show plainly what a strongroom was for, and its survival through a relocation speaks to how much such buildings were valued.
The storehouse now stands beside the New Zashiki and its garden, part of the planned setting at the heart of the compound. Visitors can reach the brewery shop and the Shusenkan cafe on foot from JR Saijo Station, about ten minutes away.
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Q&A
- Why was the storehouse moved?
- It first stood by the west of the main house. When the New Zashiki was built around 1953, the storehouse was relocated whole by the house-moving technique known as hikiya.
- Can I go inside?
- No. It is a working storehouse in a private brewery and is not open to the public, though its exterior sits within the compound.
- What is a dozo?
- A dozo is a thick earthen-walled, plaster-finished storehouse built to resist fire and theft, long used in Japan to protect goods and valuables.
- What are the projecting tiles on the north wall?
- They are mizukiri-gawara, water-shedding tiles set in a line to throw rainwater away from the plaster wall below. Here they form the main external feature.
Basic Information
| Name | Kamoizumi Shuzo Tozo (Inner Storehouse) |
|---|---|
| Location | 944 area, Kamiichi-machi, Saijo, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registration date | 1 August 2016 (registration no. 34-0180) |
| Count / structure | 1 building; earthen-walled storehouse, two storeys, tile roof, floor area approx. 16 m2 |
| Period | Late Meiji period (approx. 1898-1912); relocated around 1953 |
| Owner | Kamoizumi Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Access | About 10 min on foot from JR Saijo Station; interior not open |
References
- National Database of Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Kamoizumi Shuzo Tozo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011187
- Kamoizumi Shuzo Co., Ltd. official site
- https://www.kamoizumi.co.jp/
- Higashihiroshima Tourism — Kamoizumi Shuzo
- https://hh-kanko.ne.jp/sightseeing/113/
Last verified: 2026.07.03