Where the rice is steamed
East of the brewing storehouse stands the kamaba, the room that held the kettle and the steaming gear. It is a single-story earthen-walled building about 18 meters long and 15 meters across, roofed in pantile, with a footprint of about 269 square meters.
The frame is the wagoya type, the roof an irimoya hip-and-gable, and a raised roof monitor (koshiyane) sits toward the south of the ridge to let steam escape.
Why it was registered
Registered in November 2005 (number 08-0199) for its part in the historic landscape, the kamaba is read together with the adjacent brewing storehouse as a pair of early brewery buildings. The long sides wear plank cladding (oshibuchi shitami), while the gable walls and interior are finished in plaster.
By tradition it was built, like the shikomigura, soon after the founding of the brewery in 1854.
Reading the roof
The koshiyane is the clue to what went on below. Rice was steamed here over the koshiki vat, and the small raised roof carried off the rising steam, a practical feature still visible from the yard.
Standing outside, a visitor can read the building's job from the venting roof and the plank walls before a single door is opened.
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Questions and Answers
- What was the kamaba used for?
- It housed the kettle and steaming equipment where sake rice was steamed before brewing.
- What is the raised roof for?
- The koshiyane roof monitor let the steam rising from the koshiki vat escape from the building.
- When was it built?
- In the early Meiji period; by tradition soon after the brewery opened in 1854.
- How big is it?
- About 18 by 15 meters, a single-story earthen-walled building of around 269 square meters.
- Is it open to visitors?
- The brewery arranges visits by prior inquiry; the kamaba sits beside the main brewing storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Fuchu Homare Kamaba (Kettle / Steaming Room) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registration No. | 08-0199 |
| Registered | 10 November 2005 (gazetted 5 December 2005) |
| Period | Early Meiji period (1868-1911) |
| Structure | Single-story earthen-walled (dozo); pantile roof |
| Floor area | approx. 269 sqm |
| Number | 1 building |
| Owner | Fuchu Homare Co., Ltd. |
| Location | 5-9-32 Kokufu, Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Visiting | Working brewery; visits by prior inquiry |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Database of Designated Cultural Properties
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004911
- Fuchu Homare Co., Ltd. (official site)
- https://www.huchuhomare.com/
Last verified: 2026.06.25