Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House: An Edo-Period Townhouse with a Meiji Press Room Behind
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場事務所及び圧搾場, Higashimaru Shōyu Moto-Honsha Kōjō Jimusho oyobi Assakujō) is the office and pressing house of a soy sauce works in Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, with the office dated to the late Edo period (1751 to 1830) and the pressing house to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897); it was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on December 24, 2013. Its registration number, 28-0569, is the first of the six at the former head office factory.
It stands on the north lot, facing south onto the street. The construction is single-storey Dozo-zukuri, with thick earthen walls, under a tiled roof partly replaced with sheet metal, and the building area is 862 square meters. Of the six buildings, the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House is the largest and contains the oldest fabric.
Front and Back of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House
What the street sees is the office. It is essentially a Machiya, a merchant townhouse, with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Hongawarabuki tiles. The upper floor is a low Tsushi-nikai half-storey, the walls are plastered in Shikkui right up to the eaves, and the front is pierced with slatted Mushiko-mado windows. It is a brewer's office that looks exactly like a castle-town shop.
Behind it is the pressing house, added in the mid-Meiji period. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it still holds a press, a tank for raw soy sauce and a brick chimney. Pressing is the last stage of brewing: the fully fermented mash, moromi, is squeezed and the raw sauce that runs out is collected in the tank. At the back of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House, in other words, the equipment for the final step of the process survives in place.
The townhouse at the front is late Edo; the workroom at the back is mid-Meiji. Although registered as one building, front and rear are close to a century apart.
Why the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House Was Registered
The building was registered as one that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Its townhouse front forms the north side of the street together with Brewing Storehouse No. 3 next door to the west, which the Agency praises for harmonizing with the neighbouring office. The low eaves and white walls of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House set the line that the rest of the row follows.
Its make-up is telling as well. A late Edo townhouse was kept in use as an office while Meiji production equipment was added behind it, so trade and manufacture sit one behind the other under a single registration. It hints at how a brewer expanded within the confines of a town lot.
Seeing the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House is a factory building, and there is no announced public opening of its interior. The press, the tank and the brick chimney are all inside and cannot be seen from the street. What can be seen is the office front facing the road.
The low upper floor with its mushiko-mado and the walls plastered white to the eaves are easiest to take in from the south side of the street, a few steps back. Look along the row to Brewing Storehouse No. 3 on the west and you can see how the townhouse office and its townhouse-style storehouse neighbour answer each other. 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 Office and Pressing House?
- It is the office and pressing house of a soy sauce works, standing on the north side of a street in Ote, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture. The office is a late Edo townhouse, and a mid-Meiji pressing house was added behind it. It is a single-storey earthen-walled building with a tiled roof, partly sheet metal, and a building area of 862 square meters.
- When was the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House built, and when was it registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the office to the late Edo period (1751 to 1830) and the pressing house to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013, under number 28-0569.
- What survives inside the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House?
- According to the Agency, the interior keeps equipment used in soy sauce production, including a press, a tank for raw soy sauce and a brick chimney.
- Why is the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its low tsushi-nikai front, with walls plastered to the eaves and mushiko-mado windows, shapes the street scene together with Brewing Storehouse No. 3 next door.
- Can visitors see the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House, and is photography allowed?
- There is no announced public opening of the interior, so a visit means viewing the exterior from the street. No official guidance on photography could be found, so it is best to photograph from the street without entering the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Office and Pressing House (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場事務所及び圧搾場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 61 Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0569 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse construction, single storey, tiled roof partly sheet metal, building area 862 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 Jimusho oyobi Assakujo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009811
- 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
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo Jimusho oyobi Assakujo
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/279380
- 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
