The Homei Sake Brewery Main House on Gofukumachi
Homei Sake Brewery Main House (鳳鳴酒造主屋, Hōmei Shuzō Shuoku) is the 1804 main house 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 at the north end of the Homei brewery site, facing the shopping street of the old castle town.
The house is of wood, 2 storeys, with a tiled roof and a building area of 210 square meters. It was the home of the Nishio family who owned the brewery, and it now holds the company shop and serves as the entrance to the Horoyoi Jokagura brewery museum. Of the nine registered buildings, the Homei Main House is the only one the Agency dates to a specific year.
Why the Homei Main House Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Homei Sake Brewery Main House as a townhouse with its long side to the street on the north and a low attic upper floor, the type known as Tsushi-nikai. An earthen-floored passage (Doma) runs straight from the entrance to the back of the house, with the raised living rooms along its east side. The layout is the standard one for a merchant house, and here the passage also led from the shop to the brewery buildings behind.
What the Agency singles out is the gentle upward bow, or mukuri, of the tiled roof facing the street, a curve that swells outward rather than dipping like a temple roof. That line, it says, still carries the townscape of the Sasayama castle town, and the house was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape.
What to Look for at the Homei Main House
Step back to the far side of the street to read the roof of the Homei Main House. The rows of tiles do not run straight from ridge to eaves; they come down in a soft convex arc, and with the low eaves of the attic storey the whole front has a relaxed, rounded look.
The Japan Heritage portal notes that the main house has a gabled roof and an open, double-height space inside, and that it doubles as the shop. Once inside, look up: the void the portal mentions should open above the shop floor.
Further in, the earthen passage continues to the start of the museum route. Walking from the family's quarters into the working buildings along that floor makes it plain how the Homei Sake Brewery Main House tied together shop, home and brewery.
Visiting the Homei Main House
The Homei Sake Brewery Main House is open as the company shop, and anyone may walk in. The museum route starts here and is free, and tastings and purchases take place in the same room.
The street front can be seen at any hour. For a photograph that shows the curved roof, the pavement opposite gives the best angle. The published sources say nothing about photography inside, so ask the staff before taking pictures.
Q&A
- What is the Homei Sake Brewery Main House?
- It is the 1804 main house of the Homei sake brewery in Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City. The wooden, 2-storey building with a tiled roof covers 210 square meters and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 19, 2003.
- Why was the Homei Sake Brewery Main House registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs valued its street front, a townhouse with a low attic storey and a gently bowed tiled roof, as part of the historic townscape of Sasayama, and registered it as contributing to the historic landscape.
- How is the Homei Sake Brewery Main House laid out inside?
- An earthen-floored passage runs from the entrance straight through to the back, with raised living rooms along its east side. The passage continues toward the brewery buildings behind.
- Can I go inside the Homei Sake Brewery Main House?
- Yes. It houses the brewery shop and is the entrance to the Horoyoi Jokagura museum, which is free. Sake can be tasted and bought inside.
- What is the curved roof of the Homei Sake Brewery Main House called?
- The upward bow is called mukuri. At the Homei Main House it is on the tiled roof facing the street and is easiest to see from the opposite pavement.
Basic Information
| Name | Homei Sake Brewery Main House (鳳鳴酒造主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 46 Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture (listed under Sasayama City in the Agency database) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0127 |
| Year Designated | Registered September 19, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 210 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Open as the shop and museum entrance (free) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Shuoku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003575
- Japan Heritage Portal (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Homei Shuzo (Main House and 8 others)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/884/
- Homei Shuzo official site: Jokagura and tour route
- https://houmei.wixsite.com/houmeisyuzou/projects-3
- Homei Shuzo official site: Jokagura and Ajimagura
- https://houmei.wixsite.com/houmeisyuzou/kura
Last verified: 2026.09.30
