The Heart of the Brewery
The Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery (西尾家住宅酒蔵, Nishio-ke Jūtaku Sakagura) is a late Edo-period, single-storey Dozo-zukuri sake storehouse southeast of the main house at the Nishio Family Residence in Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 July 2004.
With a building area of 360 square metres it is the largest of the eleven registered structures at the Nishio compound. Its core is a fermentation hall running north to south, 11 ken by 5 ken, with a lower-roofed storeroom range to the north that was once the koji room.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Nishio sake brewery the central building of the brewing works.
Why It Was Registered
The sake brewery was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. With the Storehouse Gallery south of the main house, it closes off the east side of the compound and creates a long, imposing run of brewery walls along the east face of the plot.
The shikomigura, or fermentation hall, is where rice, koji and water are combined and the mash left to ferment. Behind it, the former koji room is where steamed rice was inoculated with mould. The sequence of the work is laid out in the sequence of the roofs, and the survival of a late Edo brewery building in which that order can still be read is what gives it value.
What to Look At
The fermentation hall
The main body of the Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery is a long gabled hall under a Sangawara-buki tile roof, 11 ken by 5 ken, the largest single structure on the compound.
A step down to the north
North of the hall the ridge drops a level and a storeroom range continues. This was originally the koji room, the warm space where koji mould was grown on steamed rice; the change in roof height signals the change in use.
The long east wall
The brewery and the Storehouse Gallery stand together along the eastern edge of the compound. The long north-south wall of the fermentation hall fills the east face of the plot, the kind of extended storehouse frontage that marks a brewer's house.
Visiting
The Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery is privately owned. As of October 2026 there was no notice of brewery tours or public access to the interior.
The building lines the east side of the compound, but where that face can be seen from has not been confirmed. Please do not enter the grounds.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery built?
- It dates from the late Edo period and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 July 2004.
- How big is the Nishio sake brewery?
- It is a single-storey earthen building with a building area of 360 square metres, the largest at the Nishio compound. The fermentation hall at its core measures 11 ken by 5 ken.
- What parts make up the Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery?
- A north-south fermentation hall, with a lower-roofed storeroom range to the north that was originally the koji room.
- Why is the Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. With the Storehouse Gallery it forms the long brewery frontage on the east side of the compound.
- Can I tour the Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery?
- As of October 2026 there was no notice of brewery tours or public access to the interior.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery (西尾家住宅酒蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 699 Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/7/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, single storey, tiled roof, building area 360 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004280
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nishio Family Residence Sake Brewery (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/189010
Last verified: 2026.10.08
