Kamebishi Fermentation-Preparation Room
East of the No. 1 warehouse, running east-west along the southern edge of the site, a long earthen-walled storehouse holds the heart of Kamebishi's craft. It is about 24 meters along the ridge by 7.5 meters deep, a single-story gabled building whose interior carries double walls and five koji chambers set on a mezzanine.
Kamebishi was founded in Hikita in 1753, when Iemon of the Okada family began brewing soy sauce here. The house has continued through eighteen generations and more than two hundred and seventy years, and it is the last brewery in Japan still making koji by the mushiro-koji method.
This long single-story dozo storehouse stretches some 24 meters, roofed in gabled sankawara tiles. Inside, double walls hold temperature and humidity steady, and five koji chambers line a mezzanine level. Small adjustable vents and other fittings were built in specifically for making koji on woven mats.
Why It Matters
Its listing criterion is 'a model of its type'. As the building that makes possible the mushiro-koji method Kamebishi alone still keeps in Japan, its very spatial arrangement is highly regarded. In mushiro-koji, steamed soybeans and roasted wheat are inoculated with koji mold, then spread on mats woven from rush or rice straw and left to rest for a few days, releasing surplus moisture while keeping the koji at an even temperature.
In the mushiro-koji method, steamed soybeans and roasted wheat are inoculated with koji mold and spread on mats woven from rush or rice straw, then left to rest for a few days. The mats let surplus moisture escape and hold the koji at an even temperature, work that most brewers long ago handed over to machines.
What to Notice
What sets the compound apart is its color. The main house and storehouses are painted in bengara, a deep red-ochre pigment, and heavy grey tiles crown the walls. The unbroken run of red walls along the street is the defining image of the Hikita townscape.
The interior is a working space and usually closed to the public, yet without this one building there would be no Kamebishi soy sauce. If a tour is available, look for the double walls, the mezzanine koji chambers and the temperature vents, all fitted for a koji-making process that was never mechanized. Tours are sometimes offered by advance reservation.
The shop, in a historic building on the site, sells Kamebishi soy sauce, moromi mash and soy-based sweets, and pours udon and soft-serve made with its soy sauce. The site is a working brewery and a private company property, so many of the buildings are not open inside; hours and access change with the seasons, and it is best to check before visiting.
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Q&A
- What is the Kamebishi Fermentation-Preparation Room?
- It is one of eighteen buildings at the Kamebishi soy sauce brewery in Hikita, Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, all registered as Tangible Cultural Properties in 2003. This building dates to the late Meiji period and served as the fermentation-preparation room holding the koji chambers.
- What is the mushiro-koji method that Kamebishi keeps?
- It is a way of making koji by spreading inoculated steamed soybeans and roasted wheat on mats woven from rush or rice straw for a few days. The mats regulate moisture and even out the temperature. Kamebishi is the only brewery in Japan that still uses it.
- Can visitors go inside this building?
- This is a working brewery and private company property, and most buildings, including this one, are not open inside. The shop and tea house in other buildings on the site welcome visitors for soy sauce, moromi and udon; hours change with the season, so check before visiting.
- When and why was it designated?
- It was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 19 September 2003 under the criterion of serving as a model of its type. The listing recognizes it as part of the historic brewery compound whose red-ochre walls define the Hikita streetscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Kamebishi Fermentation-Preparation Room (かめびし仕込み部屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2174 Hikita, Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), No. 37-0161 |
| Registered | Registered 19 September 2003 |
| Criterion | Serving as a model of its type |
| Date | late Meiji period |
| Structure | single-story timber structure, tiled roof, building area 180 m2 |
| Count | 1 building |
| Owner | Kamebishi (limited partnership) |
| Access | Working brewery and private property; most buildings not open inside. Shop and tea house on site; hours vary by season. |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003604
- かめびし屋（東かがわ市観光情報サイト）
- https://higashikagawa.net/sightseeing/kamebishiya
- かめびし屋 公式サイト
- https://kamebishi.co.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.02