The Compact Stone Fifth Warehouse
The Fifth Warehouse, or Goban-gura, stands west of the Fourth at the Kobayashi Brewery in Kuriyama, Hokkaido. It is the smallest building in the row, with a floor area of 176 square meters, and that modest scale gives it a tidy, self-contained look among its larger neighbors. Like the Fourth Warehouse it dates to 1900 (Meiji 33) and is built of timber-framed stone, using the pale Sapporo soft stone quarried near the Hokkaido capital.
The building runs north to south, about 22 meters along the ridge and roughly nine meters across, two stories under a sheet-iron gabled roof. Inside, six pillars stand in two rows on each floor, a sparse grid for a building of this size. Doorways open on both gable ends, so the warehouse can be entered from either short side, while windows are set into the upper level on the long side and the north gable.
The brewery that built it, Kobayashi, was founded in Sapporo in 1878 (Meiji 11) and moved to Kuriyama in 1901 for the water of the Yubari River. Its sake is sold under the name Kita no Nishiki, the label chosen by founder Kobayashi Yonezaburo to signal an ambition to make a name in the north.
Why This Building Is a Registered Cultural Property
The Fifth Warehouse joined the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on October 18, 2006. The word registration is worth keeping in mind, because it is not the same as designation. National Treasure and Important Cultural Property status pick out the most exceptional works, while registration extends a lighter protection to buildings of roughly fifty years or more that help sustain the historic character of a place. The applicable standard here was that the building contributes to the country's historic landscape.
It carries weight as one of the thirteen storehouses on the grounds registered together that day. Within the group, the Fifth belongs to the early stone phase of 1900, alongside the Fourth and Sixth Warehouses, before the brewery turned to brick in the Taisho years. Lined up together, the stone and brick buildings make the growth of the brewery legible at a glance.
For its size, the Fifth shows a careful hand. A belt course, a horizontal band of stone, runs around the building partway up the wall, and the masonry is laid in the same staggered coursing seen in the other stone warehouses. The effect is a small building that still reads as solid and deliberate.
What to Look For When You Visit
Let your eye trace the belt course around the walls. That single horizontal band is the easiest way to tell the Fifth Warehouse from its plainer stone neighbors, and it gives the compact box a sense of proportion. Walk around to both gable ends to find the paired doorways, an arrangement that let goods pass straight through the building.
The grounds are open and exteriors can be viewed at leisure. In the former 1944 office, the Kita no Nishiki Memorial Hall presents around five thousand brewing tools and vessels and runs a shop with a tasting counter. Cellar interiors are opened to groups of ten or more by reservation, and the brewery festival on the second weekend of April each year is when the buildings welcome individual visitors inside.
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Q&A
- Is the Fifth Warehouse really the smallest in the row?
- Yes. At 176 square meters it has the smallest floor area among the registered warehouses on the site, which gives it a compact, self-contained appearance.
- What is a belt course?
- It is a continuous horizontal band, here built of stone, that runs around a building partway up the wall. On the Fifth Warehouse it gives the small stone box a clear sense of proportion.
- When was it built, and from what?
- In 1900 (Meiji 33), using timber-framed stone construction with Sapporo soft stone. It is two stories with a sheet-iron gabled roof.
- Can I go inside?
- Exteriors are open to view from the grounds. The interior is accessible by guided tour for groups of ten or more with a reservation, and during the annual April brewery festival.
- How far is the brewery from Sapporo?
- About an hour by car. The brewery is at 3-109 Nishiki, Kuriyama, Yubari District, in the Sorachi region of Hokkaido.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobayashi Sake Brewery Fifth Warehouse (Kobayashi Shuzo Goban-gura) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-109 Nishiki, Kuriyama, Yubari District, Hokkaido |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registered October 18, 2006 |
| Registration No. | 01-0085 |
| Built | 1900 (Meiji 33) |
| Structure | Timber-framed stone, two stories, sheet-iron gabled roof; floor area 176 square meters; one building |
| Owner | Kobayashi Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Access | Grounds and exteriors open to visitors; cellar interiors by guided tour for groups of 10 or more, reservation required |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Kobayashi Shuzo Goban-gura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005724
- Town of Kuriyama Official Website: Kobayashi Brewery and Kita no Nishiki Memorial Hall
- https://www.town.kuriyama.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/53/64.html
- HOKKAIDO LOVE! Official Hokkaido Tourism Site: Kobayashi Brewery Building Group
- https://www.visit-hokkaido.jp/spot/detail_12193.html
Last verified: 2026.06.25