Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hokkaido

Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office (Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall)

Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office: The Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall

The former office of Kobayashi Sake Brewery in Kuriyama, Hokkaido, a tiled concrete building of 1944, is now the Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall, open to visitors.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hokkaido

The Brewery Office That Became a Museum

The Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office (Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall) (小林酒造旧事務所（蔵元北の錦記念館）) is a reinforced-concrete former office of 1944 in Nishiki, Kuriyama Town, Yubari District, Hokkaido, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 18, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Today it houses the Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall.

The Agency records a two-storey reinforced-concrete building with a tiled roof and a building area of 200 square metres; registration number 01-0077.

The Office in the East Corner

The Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office stands in the east corner of the site. It is a two-storey reinforced-concrete building, 15 metres by 10 metres, with a hipped roof of pantiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It faces southeast, with a stone-clad entrance.

The ground floor is a single open room with just two round columns along the line of the ridge. Stair towers project at the back and side, and the outer walls are tiled (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The brewery says the design took a bank in Otaru as its model.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Japan Heritage portal lists it among the brewery buildings.

Built in 1944, during the war, in reinforced concrete, it adds a Showa-era office to a site otherwise of Meiji and Taisho stone and brick stores.

What to Look For

Go round to the southeast front to see the stone-clad entrance and the tiled walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Inside, the ground floor is one wide room with only two round columns, which shows how open the office was.

According to the brewery, the hall displays about 5,000 items, mostly sake flasks, cups and the everyday tools of brewery workers.

Visiting

The Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office is open as the Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall, which doubles as the brewery shop. The brewery gives its hours as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (to 5 p.m. in summer), closed December 31 to January 3 and on the third Monday of April. The Hokkaido tourism organization's site lists entry as free.

Q&A

QCan I visit the Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office (Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall)?: AYes. The brewery gives its hours as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (to 5 p.m. in summer), and entry is free.

QWhen was the Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office built?: AIn 1944 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

QWhat kind of building is it?: AA two-storey reinforced-concrete office with a hipped pantile roof and tiled walls.

QWhat is on display in the Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall?: AAbout 5,000 items, mostly sake flasks, cups and brewery workers' tools (brewery information).

QWhen was the Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office (Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall) registered?: AOn October 18, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Basic Information

Name	Kobayashi Sake Brewery Former Office (Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall) (小林酒造旧事務所（蔵元北の錦記念館）)
Location	3-109 Nishiki, Kuriyama Town, Yubari District, Hokkaido
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure)
Year Designated	Registered 2006/10/18 (Heisei 18)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Two-storey reinforced concrete, tiled roof, 200 m²
Owner	Not listed in the Agency database
Public Access	Open as the Kitanonishiki Memorial Hall (free entry)