Higashi Brewery Main Gate

Higashi Brewery Main Gate: A Row-House Gate Between the Stores

The Higashi Brewery Main Gate (東酒造場大門, Higashi Shuzōjō Ōmon) is a Nagayamon row-house gate built in 1949 at the middle of the east side of the Higashi sake brewery in Noda-machi, Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 8, 2009.

Set back a little from the road, it stands with a storehouse on either side. It is a single-storey wooden structure with a building area of 69 square meters, and its pantile roof is of the ryōsage type, sloping down to front and back.

A nagayamon combines a gateway with rooms or sheds strung out on either side, and it served as the formal front of a substantial property. At the Higashi Brewery Main Gate, the southern half forms one continuous space with the Workshop, so the gate also does duty as part of the brewery's work area.

Why the Main Gate Was Registered

The Higashi Brewery Main Gate was registered under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with giving the whole property its air of dignity.

The gateway is on the north side and is 4.7 meters wide. It is closed by a pair of large doors, with a small wicket door, or Kugurido, set beside them. People could come and go through the wicket, while the big doors opened for carts and loads.

Toward the south, the front wall rises from a stone base in white Shikkui plaster, with tall wooden wainscoting and a projecting lattice window. That layering of materials forms the face Higashi shows the street, and the brewery itself describes the gate as a nagayamon that lends the premises standing.

What to Look For at the Higashi Brewery Main Gate

Start with the width of the opening. A 4.7-meter gateway with heavy doors suits a sake maker that had to bring in rice and send out barrels.

On the southern stretch of the facade, follow the materials upward: stone at the base, then plaster, then tall boards and the lattice window.

Once through the gate, the Shop and Main House faces you. Because the south half of the gate joins the Workshop, the working brewery is close at hand from the moment you enter.

Seeing the Higashi Brewery Main Gate

The Higashi Brewery Main Gate stands on the east side of the compound, and its exterior can be seen from the road side. To see the inner face and the south half that joins the Workshop, join a reserved tour led by the brewery; the Main Gate also appears in the photographs on the brewery's tour page.

Ask about photography when you book. Directions and booking details are on the Higashi Brewery page.