Kamebishi No. 7 Warehouse
At the northwest corner of the western plot, running east-west along its northern edge, stands the No. 7 warehouse. It is a large single-story building of about 16 by 10.2 meters, gabled with a sheet-metal roof, with five windows set high in the street-facing north wall. It stores well-aged moromi, holding sixteen round vats and three square vats.
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.
A deep, large single-story building about 16 by 10.2 meters, roofed in sheet metal, it opens five windows high in its street-facing north wall. Inside stand sixteen round wooden vats and three square ones, all used for storing moromi through long years of aging.
Why It Matters
The sixteen round and three square vats inside give concrete measure to Kamebishi's brewing scale. In wooden vats the yeast and microbes that live in the store work alongside the mash, aging the moromi over long periods. With the No. 8 warehouse, this large store forms the core of brewing on the western plot.
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.
Try counting the five windows high in the north wall facing the street. Inside stand sixteen round wooden vats and three square ones, where moromi ages from two years up to about twenty. The yeast and microbes living in the vats give Kamebishi soy sauce its distinctive flavor. This is a central building of brewing on the western plot.
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 No. 7 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 late Meiji period and served as a large moromi store holding sixteen round and three square vats.
- 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.
- Where is this building, and how does it relate to the rest of Kamebishi?
- It stands on the western plot at 2132 Hikita, across the road from the main compound at 2174. The brewery is split into two plots by the road, with preparation and koji-making concentrated on the eastern side and much of the moromi storage and pressing on the western side.
- 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. 7 Warehouse (かめびし七号蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2132 Hikita, Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), No. 37-0173 |
| Registered | Registered 19 September 2003 |
| Criterion | Contributing to the historic landscape of the nation |
| Date | late Meiji period |
| Structure | single-story timber structure, sheet-metal roof, building area 162 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/101/00003616
- 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