The Homei Sake Brewery Annex: Where the Brewer Received Guests
Homei Sake Brewery Annex (鳳鳴酒造離れ, Hōmei Shuzō Hanare) is a mid-Meiji residential wing of a sake brewery in Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on September 19, 2003. It stands on the west side of the Homei brewery site behind Storehouse No. 1, and is joined to the main house on its east side.
It is a single-storey wooden building with a tiled roof and a building area of 86 square meters. Among the brewing buildings of the Homei site, only two were built for living and receiving visitors: the main house and this Annex.
Inside the Homei Annex
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that the Homei Sake Brewery Annex contains three Japanese-style rooms and one Western-style room. Toward the east end of the north side is an entrance with a Shikidai, the low formal step for receiving guests. A veranda runs along the south side, with a toilet projecting at its east end.
The ten-mat room toward the southwest has a Tokonoma alcove, and the north wall carries decorative Ranma transoms. A formal entrance at one end and the alcove room tucked into the far corner is the arrangement of a reception suite rather than everyday family rooms.
The Western-style room deserves notice. It means that a provincial merchant family in the mid-Meiji years chose to include one when it built rooms for its guests. The Agency's record says nothing about how that room is finished or furnished.
Why the Annex Was Registered
The Homei Sake Brewery Annex was registered as a model of architectural form. Only three of the nine Homei buildings were registered on that criterion (the Annex, Storehouse No. 2 and the Kettle Room and Rice-Washing Room); the other six were valued for their contribution to the landscape.
The Agency points to the care taken over its design, citing the alcove and the transom decoration. It is not a building seen from the street, so what was registered is the craftsmanship of the rooms themselves. Through its plan and its fittings, the Annex shows what kind of reception space a castle-town brewer kept in his house.
Visiting the Annex
The Homei Sake Brewery Annex is not part of the museum route described on the brewery's website, and it is closed to the public. Because it stands inside the property behind Storehouse No. 1, even its exterior is hardly visible from the street.
The museum route runs from the shop into the brewing buildings and does not pass through the Annex rooms on the west side of the main house. No special openings were found in the sources consulted.
Q&A
- What is the Homei Sake Brewery Annex?
- It is a mid-Meiji residential wing on the west side of the Homei brewery site in Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, joined to the main house on the east. The single-storey wooden building covers 86 square meters and was registered on September 19, 2003.
- What rooms does the Homei Sake Brewery Annex have?
- Three Japanese-style rooms and one Western-style room, with a formal entrance on the north side, a veranda on the south, and an alcove in the ten-mat room toward the southwest.
- Why was the Homei Sake Brewery Annex registered?
- Its carefully designed rooms, including the alcove and decorative transoms, led the Agency for Cultural Affairs to register it as a model of architectural form.
- Can I see inside the Homei Sake Brewery Annex?
- No. It is not on the museum route and is closed to the public.
- Can the Homei Sake Brewery Annex be seen from the street?
- Hardly. It stands inside the property behind Storehouse No. 1, which faces the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Homei Sake Brewery Annex (鳳鳴酒造離れ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 48 Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture (listed under Sasayama City in the Agency database) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0130 |
| Year Designated | Registered September 19, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey, tiled roof, building area 86 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Hanare
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003578
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Dozo Ichi
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003577
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Shuoku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003575
- Homei Shuzo official site: Jokagura and tour route
- https://houmei.wixsite.com/houmeisyuzou/projects-3
Last verified: 2026.09.30
