A Moromi Storehouse from the Founding Years
The Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse (小豆島馬越醤油北諸味蔵, Shōdoshima Umagoe Shōyu Kita-moromigura) is a late Edo-period single-storey timber storehouse at Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce in Umagoe, Tonosho-cho, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003. It covers 368 square meters, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs believes it was built when soy sauce brewing began here.
A moromi storehouse is where moromi, the thick mash of fermenting soybeans, wheat, salt and koji, sits in vats for months at a time. The brewery was founded in 1855 and says it still ferments its moromi in a brewing storehouse built in the Edo period. Of the five structures listed on the site, this is the only moromi storehouse dated to the late Edo years.
It stands on the seaward side of the lot with its ridge running east to west. The 1901 south moromi storehouse sits directly to the south.
A Cut-Stone Base and a Stepped Ridge
The roof is gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) and laid with pantiles, but at the west end the ridge steps to a different level. From a little distance, that break in the long roofline marks exactly where the building ends.
Around the outside, dressed stone is stacked to waist height. Above it the walls are Shinkabe, with posts exposed, yet they are sheathed in vertical boards, so from outside the building reads as a stone plinth under a timber wall. So close to the sea, the stone may also be read as protection for the part of the wall most exposed to damp.
Vats Beneath Center Posts and Rafter Beams
Inside, a row of center posts runs under the ridge, and horizontal beams combine with sloping Nobori-bari rafter beams to carry the roof. Beneath them, the Agency notes, wooden vats are laid out in orderly rows.
Setting posts in a line under the ridge takes the roof load down through the middle of the floor, which lets shorter beams span the 368 square meters on either side.
The Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse was registered as number 37-0152 as a model of architectural design. The Agency's note points to the cut-stone base and board cladding, the stepped ridge, and the frame of center posts and two kinds of beam over neat rows of vats. Together they show a late Edo brewing storehouse surviving in complete form.
Seeing the North Moromi Storehouse
The Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse belongs to a working brewery, and its interior is not open to visitors. The vats cannot be seen from outside, and the brewery does not say whether its year-long fermentation in cedar vats takes place in this particular building.
From outside the property, look for two things: the line where stone meets boarding at the foot of the wall, and the step in the roof at the west end. The Agency's note on the neighboring south moromi storehouse mentions neither feature, so comparing the bases and roof ends of the two buildings side by side shows the gap in their dates.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse
- [ Naoshima Art Island & Kotohiragu Shrine Visit ]
Q&A
- When was the Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse built?
- In the late Edo period. The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes it dates from the brewery's founding years; the business began in 1855.
- What is the Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse used for?
- It is a storehouse for fermenting moromi mash. Wooden vats stand in rows under a frame of center posts, horizontal beams and sloping rafter beams.
- What does the Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse look like?
- Cut stone to waist height, board-clad walls above, and a gabled pantiled roof whose ridge steps at the west end.
- Can I go inside the Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse?
- No. The interior is not public and no published offer of visits could be found, so it can only be seen from outside the property.
- Why is the Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 18, 2003 as a model of architectural design. Its registration number is 37-0152.
Basic Information
| Name | Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse (小豆島馬越醤油北諸味蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 161 Maehama-ko, Umagoe, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 37-0152 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 18, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 1 storey, gabled pantiled roof, building area 368 square meters |
| Owner | Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce Limited Partnership |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior only as seen from outside the property |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003325
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce South Moromi Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003326
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce North Moromi Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/149935
- Yamaha Shokuhin / Shodoshima Umagoe Soy Sauce official website (Japanese)
- https://www.yamaha.org/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
