Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse: An L-Shaped Block at the End of the Street
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場仕込蔵及び雑品庫, Higashimaru Shōyu Moto-Honsha Kōjō Shikomigura oyobi Zappinko) is a mid-Meiji (1883 to 1897) storehouse of a soy sauce works in Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, combining a sundries store and a brewing storehouse on an L-shaped plan, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on December 24, 2013. Its registration number, 28-0574, is the last of the six at the former head office factory.
It stands at the west end of the north lot, facing south. The construction is single-storey Dozo-zukuri with a tiled roof, and the building area of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse is 323 square meters.
The L-Shaped Plan of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse
In the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse, the east-west wing along the street is the sundries store, and the wing running north from it into the back of the lot is the brewing storehouse. The street sees only the sundries store; the brewing storehouse is hidden behind. Both wings are single-storey, earthen-walled storehouses.
The sundries store ends on the east in a hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri), has black vertical boarding (Tateita-bari) up to a high wainscot and a row of latticed windows. Showing the gable of the hip-and-gable roof toward the street, and grounding the white wall with dark boards, is what gives this building its face.
The name suggests a store for tools and materials used in brewing, but the sources checked do not record what was actually kept there.
Why the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse Was Registered
The building was registered as one that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse gives definition to the brewer's site.
Along the north side of the street, the townhouse-like fronts of the Office and Pressing House and Brewing Storehouse No. 3 run westward, and the hip-and-gable roof of the sundries store closes the row. How a long row ends shapes the whole impression of a street, and here the dark boarding and the gable do that job.
Seeing the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse
The Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse is a factory building, and there is no announced public opening of its interior. What can be seen from outside is the street front of the sundries store and its hip-and-gable end.
Walk west along the south side of the street: after the office and Brewing Storehouse No. 3, the black boarding of the sundries store appears and the row comes to its end. The brewing storehouse wing at the back is hard to see from the street. 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 and Sundries Storehouse?
- It is a mid-Meiji storehouse of a soy sauce works at the west end of the north lot in Ote, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture. On an L-shaped plan, the east-west wing along the street is a sundries store and the north-south wing behind it is a brewing storehouse. It is single-storey and earthen-walled with a tiled roof and a building area of 323 square meters.
- When was the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013, under number 28-0574. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897).
- What does the sundries store of the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse look like?
- Its east end has a hip-and-gable roof, the lower wall is clad in black vertical boards up to a high wainscot, and a row of latticed windows runs along it.
- Why is the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as a building that gives definition to the brewer's site.
- Can visitors see the Higashimaru Soy Sauce Former Head Office Factory Brewing Storehouse and Sundries Storehouse?
- There is no announced public opening of the interior, so the visit is to the sundries store front 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 and Sundries Storehouse (ヒガシマル醤油元本社工場仕込蔵及び雑品庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 61 Ote, Tatsuno-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0574 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse construction, single storey, tiled roof, building area 323 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 oyobi Zappinko
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009816
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashimaru Shoyu Moto-Honsha Kojo Shikomigura oyobi Zappinko
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/241265
- 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
