Where the new sake was left to mature
The Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility (旧木村酒造場貯蔵所, Kyū Kimura Shuzōjō Chozōsho) is a late Meiji-period (1898–1912) Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse in Takeda, Wadayama-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 November 2015. It was used to mature freshly pressed sake, and stands toward the southern end of the brewery's west side.
It measures 21 metres by 5.7 metres, with a building area of 116 square metres: single-storey, gabled, roofed in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The Back Gate adjoins it to the north, with the Sake Press Storehouse beyond. The national database notes a renovation in 2013.
Why it was listed
The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility together with the press storehouse and the Back Gate: the three, it says, define the layout of the brewery. Along the west edge they run in a line from north to south, the place where sake was made, the gateway and workers' quarters, and the place where sake was aged.
The storage hall is the last in that line and handled the last stage. New sake was not sent out straight from the press; it was left in the storehouse for its flavour to settle. A separate building for that purpose, apart from the work storehouse, is a measure of the scale of the Kimura business.
It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
What to look for
From outside it closely resembles the press storehouse: white Shikkui lime plaster above a base of vertical boarding, and a row of latticed windows on the east face, the side turned toward the inside of the compound. Seen one after the other, the two were clearly built to the same specification.
The difference is hidden in the roof. The Storage Facility is framed with a King post truss, a Western system of triangulated timbers with a central vertical post, which spread through Japan after the Meiji Restoration. The press storehouse next door uses traditional Wagoya framing with Nobori-bari sloping beams. Two storehouses of the same late Meiji date on the same lot, one roofed the Japanese way and one the Western way.
A truss spans wide without intermediate posts, which would presumably have suited a storehouse filled with rows of sake vats. No surviving record explains, however, why this building alone was given a truss.
Visiting
The Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility stands on the west edge of the lot and cannot be seen from the street, which is screened by the main house and other buildings. The compound is run as a hotel, with no public opening days or interior tours, and the operator does not say what the building is used for now.
You can see the exterior when you enter the compound as a hotel guest or restaurant diner. The truss is visible only from inside, so if it interests you, ask the staff. Let them know too if you want to take photographs.
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Q&A
- What was the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility used for?
- It was the storehouse where freshly pressed sake was left to mature. It stands toward the south of the brewery's west side, in line with the Back Gate and the Sake Press Storehouse.
- How big is the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility?
- It is a single-storey earthen storehouse 21 metres by 5.7 metres, with a building area of 116 square metres.
- How is the roof of the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility framed?
- With a Western-style king post truss. The neighbouring Sake Press Storehouse uses traditional wagoya framing with sloping beams, so the two storehouses are framed differently.
- Can I visit the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility?
- It is on the west edge of the lot, not visible from the street, inside a compound run as a hotel. There are no public opening days or interior tours; guests and restaurant diners can see the exterior.
- When was the Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility registered?
- On 17 November 2015. It was built in the late Meiji period (1898–1912) and renovated in 2013.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility |
|---|---|
| Location | 363 Kamimachi Nishigawa, Takeda, Wadayama-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/11/17 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, tiled roof, building area 116 square metres (21 metres by 5.7 metres) |
| Owner | Asago City |
| Public Access | Inside the compound, not visible from the street; not open to the public |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Former Kimura Brewery Storage Facility
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010869
- National Cultural Properties Database: Former Kimura Brewery Sake Press Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010868
Last verified: 2026.10.01
