The Face of the Brewery
The Sekinoichi Sake Brewery Former Shop and Office (世嬉の一酒造場旧店舗・事務所) is the face of the brewery, a plastered store above a stone-faced shop of 1919 in Tamuracho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 23, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey plastered building with a tiled roof and a building area of 114 square metres; registration number 03-0027.
A Plastered Store over a Stone Shop
The Sekinoichi brewery stands by the Iwai River, on part of the former quarter of the middle and lower samurai of the Ichinoseki domain (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Sato Tokuzo of Surisawa Village bought the Kumabun brewery and rebuilt it, to designs by his cousin Obara Yusuke, a pupil of Tatsuno Kingo.
The former shop and office, of 1919, stands at the north-east corner of the site, set back a little (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Though built as a plastered storehouse, its ground-floor shop is faced in stone with Western-style design.
It joins, one above the other, the plastered and the stone buildings of the brewery, and the Agency calls it fitting as the face of the Sekinoichi brewery.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
At the former shop and office, look for the stone-faced ground floor under the plastered upper storey (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
They are owned by Sekinoichi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the company, the Sake Folk Culture Museum in the former brewing storehouse opens from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with admission of 300 yen (200 yen for elementary and junior high school students). The other buildings are in use by the brewery. The 7 buildings are introduced together on the Sekinoichi Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1919 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- Obara Yusuke, a pupil of Tatsuno Kingo.
- What does it look like?
- A plastered store over a stone-faced shop.
- Where is it?
- At the north-east corner of the site.
- When was the Sekinoichi Sake Brewery Former Shop and Office registered?
- On August 23, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Sekinoichi Sake Brewery Former Shop and Office (世嬉の一酒造場旧店舗・事務所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 14 Tamuracho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/08/23 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey plastered building, tiled roof, 114 m² |
| Owner | Sekinoichi Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | The museum in the former brewing storehouse is open |
References
- Sekinoichi Sake Brewery Former Shop and Office (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001229
- Museum and Literature Hall (Sekinoichi Shuzo, in Japanese)
- https://sekinoichi.co.jp/museum/
- Sekinoichi Sake Brewery Former Rice Store and Mill (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001223
Last verified: 2026.10.30
