What Is the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed?
The Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed (横屋酒造タンク置場, Yokoya Shuzō Tanku Okiba) is a single-storey timber brewery building in Senmaya, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, built in 1899 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
It abuts the east gable of the Koji Room and runs parallel to the Front Storehouse. At about 11 metres by 6 metres, with a building area of 59 square metres, it is a small building, and as its name says it housed the brewery's sake tanks.
Why It Was Registered
The Tank Shed is the oldest of the Yokoya buildings that were built for brewing. The great storehouses date from 1902 and Yokoya Sake Brewery was founded only in 1912, so this shed survives from the earlier brewer who worked the site before them.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs commends how it combines a cut-stone foundation and a Shinkabe timber frame with exterior clapboard siding, resolving the whole into a neat Western-style design. For a small outbuilding, it is a clear example of how rural Iwate absorbed Western looks before the turn of the century. Its registration number is 03-0049.
What to Look For
To fit the tanks, the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed is tall for its footprint and has no ceiling inside. The gabled sheet-metal roof sits on trusses, which give height and an open floor with few posts, an honest structure for the job.
Outside, look at the walls. Overlapping horizontal boards were a favourite finish for Meiji-era Western-style houses and town offices, and among rows of white plastered kura they stand out. The cut-stone footing, and the way the shed butts against the masonry of the Koji Room, make this corner of the site one of its most varied.
Visiting
The Tank Shed stands on the north side of the grounds, continuing from the east end of the Koji Room. 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.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Iwate
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed
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Q&A
- What was the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed used for?
- Housing sake tanks. It is tall for its size and has no ceiling, so the tanks would fit.
- When was the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed built?
- In 1899, which makes it the oldest of the Yokoya buildings built for brewing. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
- How big is the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed?
- It is a single-storey timber shed about 11 metres by 6 metres, with a building area of 59 square metres, built against the east gable of the Koji Room.
- What does the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed look like?
- A tidy Western-style shed: clapboard siding over a timber frame on a cut-stone foundation, under a gabled sheet-metal roof carried on trusses.
- Can you visit the Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed?
- 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.
Basic Information
| Name | Yokoya Sake Brewery Tank Shed (横屋酒造タンク置場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 134-1 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 59 square metres (about 11 metres by 6 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 Tank Shed, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003038
- Yokoya Sake Brewery Koji Room, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003037
- Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility (Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd.)
- https://sakenokura.com/wp/kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
