Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3: A Brewing Storehouse with a Townhouse Face
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場仕込蔵三, Higashimaru Shōyu Moto-Honsha Kōjō Shikomigura San) is a mid-Meiji (1883 to 1897) soy sauce brewing storehouse in Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on December 24, 2013. Its registration number is 28-0573.
It stands on the north lot, directly west of the Office and Pressing House. The construction is single-storey Dozo-zukuri under a tiled roof partly replaced with sheet metal, and the building area is 202 square meters, making the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 the smallest of the six.
How the Front of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 Is Dressed
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 has a Hongawarabuki tiled roof, and on its south front a pent roof, a Hisashi, runs across the wall at mid-height. The walls are plastered in Shikkui, the lower wall is clad in sasarako Shitami-itabari and there are latticed windows. Sasarako cladding holds overlapping horizontal boards in place with vertical battens notched to fit each step; the stepped boards throw lines of shadow and give the foot of the white wall a firm base.
A mid-height pent roof and latticed windows are features you expect on a townhouse shopfront rather than a storehouse. Inside, this is a workspace lined with fermentation vats, yet to the street it shows the same face as a home or a shop.
Why the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 Was Registered
The building was registered as one that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 as a brewing storehouse with a townhouse-like exterior that creates a street scene in harmony with the office next door.
The neighbouring office is a late Edo townhouse with Mushiko-mado windows. With a townhouse-style storehouse following on from it, the north side of the street reads as a row of town buildings rather than a factory. Here the storehouse has stepped toward the townhouse to fit into the castle-town street.
Seeing the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 is a factory building, and there is no announced public opening of its interior. The vats inside cannot be seen, but the south front facing the street is in full view.
Look at it from the south side of the street together with the Office and Pressing House. Compare the line of the pent roof, the height of the boarded base and the spacing of the latticed windows with the office front next door, and you can see how the two were matched. Stay on the street rather than entering the site.
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Q&A
- What is the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3?
- It is a mid-Meiji soy sauce brewing storehouse on the north lot in Ote, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, directly west of the Office and Pressing House. It is single-storey and earthen-walled with a tiled roof, partly sheet metal, and a building area of 202 square meters, and fermentation vats stand inside.
- When was the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013, under number 28-0573. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897).
- What does the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 look like?
- It has a heavy tiled roof, a pent roof across the middle of its south front, plastered walls, a base clad in sasarako boarding and latticed windows, giving it the look of a townhouse.
- Why is the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as a townhouse-style brewing storehouse that creates a street scene in harmony with the neighbouring office.
- Can visitors see the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3?
- There is no announced public opening of the interior, but the south front can be seen from the street. No official guidance on photography could be found, so photograph from the street without entering the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse No. 3 (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場仕込蔵三) |
|---|---|
| Location | 61 Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0573 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse construction, single storey, tiled roof partly sheet metal, building area 202 square meters |
| Owner | Higashimaru Shoyu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No announced public opening of the interior (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo Shikomigura San
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009815
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo Jimusho oyobi Assakujo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009811
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo Shikomigura San
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/207534
- Tatsuno City: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo (Former Head Office Factory)
- https://www.city.tatsuno.lg.jp/soshiki/1041/gyomu/5/4/4099.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
