Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1: A One-Room Building on the Street
Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 (鳳鳴酒造事務室一, Hōmei Shuzō Jimushitsu Ichi) is an early Meiji-era office building 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 north side of the Homei brewery site, facing the street just west of the main house.
It is a single-storey wooden building with a pantiled roof and a building area of just 6.3 square meters, less than four tatami mats. It contains a single room and is the smallest of the nine registered Homei buildings.
The Roof and Front of Office No. 1
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the ridge of Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 is set close to the street, with the roof falling from it toward the south almost as a single slope. From the street it reads as a low, compact roof, a dip in the eaves line between the taller main house and Storehouse No. 1.
The upper part of the street wall is finished in Shikkui plaster, and at its center there is an accent in the style of a Mushiko-mado, the slatted window set into the upper walls of merchant houses. The Agency's wording suggests it is a decorative touch rather than a working window, giving this small building the same townhouse face as its neighbor.
It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency writes that Storehouse No. 1 in the northwest corner forms a continuous street front with the main house and Office No. 1, and the office is valued as the piece that fills the middle of that row.
Finding Office No. 1 from the Street
Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 is only a few steps west of the shop entrance, and it is easy to miss precisely because its neighbors are so much bigger. Look for the short stretch of low eaves between the main house's tiled roof and the white wall of Storehouse No. 1.
Check the center of its white upper wall for the latticed window motif. It sits a little above eye level, so it is clearer from the pavement opposite.
Visiting Office No. 1
Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 is not part of the museum route described on the brewery's website, and the interior is not open. Because it faces the street, the exterior can be seen at any time.
The sources consulted do not say what office work was done here in the early Meiji era or how the room is used now.
Q&A
- What is Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1?
- It is an early Meiji-era office building next to the main house of the Homei brewery in Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City. The single-room wooden building has a pantiled roof, covers 6.3 square meters and was registered on September 19, 2003.
- What are the features of Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1?
- Its roof has the ridge set toward the street and falls almost as a single slope to the south, and the plastered upper wall of the street front carries a latticed window motif at its center.
- Why was Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 registered?
- With the main house and Storehouse No. 1 it forms a continuous street front, and it was registered as contributing to the historic landscape.
- How big is Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1?
- Its building area is 6.3 square meters, the smallest of the nine registered Homei buildings.
- Can I go inside Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1?
- No. It is not on the museum route and the interior is closed, but the exterior can be seen from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Homei Sake Brewery Office No. 1 (鳳鳴酒造事務室一) |
|---|---|
| Location | 48 Gofukumachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture (listed under Sasayama City in the Agency database) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 28-0128 |
| Year Designated | Registered September 19, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey, tiled roof, building area 6.3 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Jimushitsu Ichi
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003576
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Shuoku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003575
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Homei Shuzo Dozo Ichi
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003577
- Homei Shuzo official site: Jokagura and tour route
- https://houmei.wixsite.com/houmeisyuzou/projects-3
Last verified: 2026.09.30
