The rice-polishing house
At the east end of the yard's center stands the tsukiya, the house for hulling and polishing rice. The single-story earthen-walled building runs about 18 meters by 7.3 meters under a hipped (yosemune) pantile roof, with a footprint of about 132 square meters.
Plaster covers the walls, with plank cladding (oshibuchi shitami) along the lower courses. Large and small windows open on the gable ends and the west face, and a plaster band (hachimaki) runs under the eaves.
Why it matters
Registered in November 2005 (number 08-0200) for its place in the historic landscape, the tsukiya is plain in finish but central to the work. Before brewing can begin, sake rice must be milled down toward its starchy core.
Modest as it looks, the building is named in the register as an important part of the brewing plant.
Why polishing matters here
Rice for sake is polished hard, and the Wataribune grain the brewery revived holds a clean, linear core (shinpaku) that stands up to heavy milling. The tsukiya is where that preparation was carried out.
Its small size belies its role in shaping the flavor that carried the Watari-bune label well beyond Ibaraki.
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Questions and Answers
- What was the tsukiya used for?
- It was the house where rice was hulled and polished before brewing.
- How big is it?
- About 18 by 7.3 meters, a single-story earthen-walled building of around 132 square meters.
- When was it built?
- In the mid-Meiji period.
- Why does polishing matter for sake?
- Milling the rice toward its starchy core removes outer proteins and fats, which shapes the clarity of the finished sake.
- Can it be seen on a visit?
- The brewery arranges visits by prior inquiry; the tsukiya stands at the east edge of the central yard.
Basic Information
| Name | Fuchu Homare Tsukiya (Rice-Polishing House) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registration No. | 08-0200 |
| Registered | 10 November 2005 (gazetted 5 December 2005) |
| Period | Mid-Meiji period (1868-1911) |
| Structure | Single-story earthen-walled (dozo); pantile roof |
| Floor area | approx. 132 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/101/00004912
- Fuchu Homare Co., Ltd. (official site)
- https://www.huchuhomare.com/
Last verified: 2026.06.25