Kamebishi No. 3 Warehouse
East of the fermentation-preparation room, at the southeast corner of the site and running north-south along its eastern edge, stands the No. 3 warehouse. It is a single-story gabled building of about 11 by 7.7 meters, tiled in formal hongawara. It now stores moromi mash, but a raised monitor on the roof suggests it began as a boiler room.
In its Edo-period heyday Hikita held around ten soy and sake brewers; of those, only Kamebishi, founded by the Okada family in 1753, survives today. Now in its eighteenth generation, it is the single brewery in Japan that still makes koji on woven mats.
Above its gabled tiled roof sits a smaller raised monitor. Such a monitor vents heat and steam from within, and its presence is why the building is thought to have started as a kamaba where soybeans were steamed and ingredients boiled. Today it has been turned over to storing moromi.
Why It Matters
Here the shape of the roof records a change of use. The heat-venting monitor points to a former boiler room. Buildings were assigned to different stages of brewing and shifted roles over time, and that history of the site can be read in this one structure.
Making koji on mushiro mats is slow and labor-intensive, which is why nearly every brewery mechanized it. Kamebishi kept the older way: the inoculated soybeans and wheat rest on woven mats for about three days, the mats balancing moisture and heat so the koji develops evenly.
What to Notice
Red-ochre walls under grey tile define the Kamebishi compound. The bengara finish, extended across the buildings on both sides of the road, ties the whole site into one continuous streetscape that is unlike anywhere else in Hikita.
Look for the raised monitor on the roof, a distinctive form in which a second small roof rides above the ridge to let heat and moisture escape. The building is a moromi store now, but that monitor carries the memory of its days handling fire as a boiler room.
The shop and tea house welcome visitors for soy sauce, moromi, sweets and udon, but the brewery itself is a working, privately owned site, and most buildings cannot be entered. Opening days and hours change through the year, especially during the brewing season, so plan around current information.
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Q&A
- What is the Kamebishi No. 3 Warehouse?
- 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 early Showa period and served as a moromi store that appears to have begun as a boiler room.
- 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 contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. The listing recognizes it as part of the historic brewery compound whose red-ochre walls define the Hikita streetscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Kamebishi No. 3 Warehouse (かめびし三号蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2174 Hikita, Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), No. 37-0162 |
| Registered | Registered 19 September 2003 |
| Criterion | Contributing to the historic landscape of the nation |
| Date | early Showa period |
| Structure | single-story timber structure, tiled roof, building area 80 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/101/00003605
- 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