What Is the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory?
The Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory (横屋酒造ビン詰工場, Yokoya Shuzō Binzume Kōjō) is a single-storey timber building in Senmaya, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, built in 1881 as the village office of Senmaya and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
It stands east of the southern end of the East Storehouse, on the lot numbered 137-2 Kitakata, with a building area of 254 square metres. The old village office was moved a short distance and reused as the plant where sake was bottled, and it is the oldest of the brewery buildings.
Why It Was Registered
The Bottling Factory carries two histories in one structure: public building and brewery workshop. Rather than tearing down a retired village office, someone moved it and gave it the final stage of sake production. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it keeps traces of a provincial government office in places while having served as an essential part of the brewery.
Its date of 1881 puts it more than 30 years ahead of the founding of Yokoya Sake Brewery in 1912, and ahead of the great storehouses of 1902 as well. That gives it a distinct place in the complex as a record of Senmaya's own modern history. Its registration number is 03-0052.
What to Look For
The plan is L-shaped, and the roofs make that easy to read. One wing runs north to south under an hip-and-gable roof; a second wing, running east to west under a gabled roof, is attached to its east side. A hip-and-gable roof is an unusually dignified form for a brewery outbuilding, and a clue to its civic beginnings.
The roof is sheet metal now, but it was once covered in wooden shingles. To picture the village office, imagine that shingled surface on the hip-and-gable wing. Hunting for the remaining traces of its government days is part of the pleasure of the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory.
Visiting
The Bottling Factory is east of the East Storehouse, on the same lot as the Drying Shed. Its exterior can be seen from the grounds free of charge on opening days of the Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility. The operator's website does not describe regular public access to the brewery interiors, so plan on seeing the outside; if you hope to go in, contact Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd. (tel. 0191-53-2070) beforehand. Directions, opening days and hours are on the page for the Yokoya Sake Brewery and Sato Family Residence.
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Q&A
- What was the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory originally?
- The village office of Senmaya, built in 1881. It was moved a short distance and reused for bottling sake.
- What kind of roof does the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory have?
- Following its L-shaped plan, a hip-and-gable roof over the north-south wing and a gabled roof over the east-west wing. It is sheet metal today, originally wooden shingle.
- Where is the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory on the site?
- East of the southern end of the East Storehouse, on the lot numbered 137-2 Kitakata, which it shares with the Drying Shed.
- Can you visit the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory?
- You can view the outside from the grounds, free of charge, on opening days. The interior is not regularly open, so check with the operator in advance if you hope to go in.
- When was the Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory registered?
- On January 31, 2003, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. It is the oldest of the brewery buildings on the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory (横屋酒造ビン詰工場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 137-2 Kitakata, Senmaya, Senmaya-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/1/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 254 square metres |
| Owner | Ichinoseki City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable free of charge from the grounds on opening days; interior not regularly open |
References
- Yokoya Sake Brewery Bottling Factory, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003041
- Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility (Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd.)
- https://sakenokura.com/wp/kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
