Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse

The smaller of two storehouses standing gable-end to the west

Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse (賀茂鶴酒造一号蔵北土蔵, Kamotsuru Shuzō Ichigōgura Kitadozō) is a two-story Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse from the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) on the founding site of Kamotsuru Sake Brewery in Saijo Honmachi, Higashihiroshima City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017.

It stands south of the east wing with its gable turned west toward the west wing, and the south storehouse stands just beyond it facing the same way. At 7.6 meters by 4.1 meters, with a building area of 31 square meters, it is the smallest of Kamotsuru's 19 registered structures.

Plastered to the eaves outside, boarded inside

The entrance is in the gable end (Tsumairi) and the roof is pantiled. Outside, the plaster is carried right up to the eaves so that almost no timber shows, the classic fire-resistant storehouse finish.

Inside, the walls are lined with horizontal boards and both floors are boarded. That sets it apart from the earthen-floored east wing: this was built to store goods rather than to brew. The roof is framed in the Japanese Wagoya manner.

Beside the south storehouse, the Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse is the slightly smaller of the pair but has two floors, while its neighbor has one.

Dating and registration of the Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse

The national database dates the Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse to the early Meiji period, while Higashihiroshima City's Historic Site materials place it in the late Meiji period. This article follows the national database and notes the city's view.

It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and in 2024 the No. 1 Brewhouse became part of the Saijo Sake Breweries Historic Site.

Visiting the Kamotsuru Sake Brewery No. 1 Brewhouse North Storehouse

Neither the brewery nor the city announces public access to the interior, and the city notes that some parts of the No. 1 Brewhouse are closed. Because the gable faces the west wing, the exterior is seen from that side; on a visit to the No. 1 Brewhouse shop (10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), compare the two gables side by side.