An Orderly Sake Store of 1925
Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse (橋本酒造清酒蔵, Hashimoto Shuzō Seishugura) is a sake store built in 1925 at a brewer's compound in Iburihashi-machi, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 December 2005. It stands west of the pressing house and southwest of the storage house, with its ridge running east to west.
The two-storey building measures 7 and a half by 6 Ken bays, with a building area of 159 square metres, under a Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles, entered at the gable end in the Tsumairi manner. At 6 bays deep it is squat and broad compared with the other stores.
Seishu means refined sake, the clear liquid left once the lees are removed. This store was added in the Taisho era to the west of the late-Edo pressing and storage houses.
Why It Was Registered
The Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse was registered as difficult to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises its orderly structure: on the ground floor six posts in two rows carry the upper floor, and on the upper floor two central posts carry the ridge beam.
The two floors divide the work cleanly, the lower posts spread to support a wide floor and the upper ones gathered to take the roof. Compare the late-Edo storage house, where posts along the ridge line and in the gable ends carry the ridge beam, and the structural change over the intervening decades becomes clear.
As in the pressing house and storage house, the outer walls are lined inside with tuff.
What to Look For
From outside, note the width of the gable. At 6 bays it is noticeably broader than the gable of the storage house, which is 4 and a half bays, and its roof triangle is larger to match.
If you can go inside the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse, look at the two evenly spaced rows of posts on the ground floor, which divide the wide floor into clear working aisles.
Visiting
The Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse stands west of the pressing house, inside the grounds, and from the public road little more than part of its roof can be seen. The property is private and cannot be entered without the owner's permission.
Plans to open the compound as a private art museum have been reported, but whether this building will be open and whether photography is allowed could not be confirmed as of September 2026. Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Hashimoto Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- When was the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse built?
- It was built in 1925.
- What does seishu, in the name of the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse, mean?
- Refined sake: the clear liquid left once the mash has been pressed and the lees removed.
- What is structurally notable about the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse?
- Six posts in two rows on the ground floor carry the upper floor, and two central posts upstairs carry the ridge beam, a clear and orderly frame.
- How big is the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse?
- It measures 7 and a half by 6 bays, with a building area of 159 square metres on 2 storeys.
- Can visitors see the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse?
- It stands inside private grounds and little of it shows from the road. Visiting conditions could not be confirmed as of September 2026, so check the latest information before you go.
Basic Information
| Name | Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse (橋本酒造清酒蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | I-184 Iburihashi-machi, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/12/26 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 159 square metres; 7 and a half by 6 bays |
| Owner | Kaga Manryu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Inside the grounds and hard to see from the road; interior access depends on the owner |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hashimoto Sake Brewery Refined Sake Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005128
- Kaga City: Nationally Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.kaga.ishikawa.jp/ed/bunka_shinko/6066.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25