About the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn (ヤマサン醤油製麹長屋門及び納屋) is an early Showa-era timber gatehouse and barn belonging to Yamasan Soy Sauce in Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Kagawa Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
It stands on the plot across the road from the brewery and the brewer's residence, at 182-1 Uchihama-ko, and it is the only one of the eleven listed Yamasan buildings on that side of the street. It covers 92 square meters under a tiled roof.
It combines a single-story barn, bent in plan to follow the road, with a Nagayamon gatehouse joined to its east end. The gatehouse has a low loft storey (Tsushi-nikai), a gateway 1.5 ken wide at its west end, and a koji room occupying the part east of the gateway.
Why the Gatehouse and Barn Were Listed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The brewery buildings were registered in 2002 and 2003; this building across the road joined them in 2006.
A nagayamon is a gate flanked by long rooms, traditionally used as living quarters or storage and serving as the formal front of a property. Here the rooms beside the gate were given over to koji making, so the form of a house gate and the function of a brewery workroom come together in one building, as the word "koji-making" in its name records.
What to Look For at the Yamasan Koji-Making Gatehouse
The first thing you notice about the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn is the long run of building along the road. The barn along the road is bent in plan, so the frontage turns partway along before continuing into the gatehouse.
The gatehouse rises a step higher than the barn thanks to its loft storey, which shows from the road as a change in eave height. The gateway is pushed to the west end rather than centered, one of the things that gives this nagayamon its character.
A lean-to canopy runs along the south side. Before looking through the gateway, locate the koji-room section to its east: it is the part of the gatehouse tied directly to brewing, and knowing where it is makes sense of the whole building.
Visiting the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Gatehouse and Barn
Because the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn lines the road, you can see its exterior from the street. Of all the Yamasan buildings, it is the easiest to appreciate without entering the grounds.
It is private property. Whether you can pass through the gate or see inside the koji room depends on Yamasan's reserved tour. If you stop to look from the road, keep clear of the gateway so you do not block anyone going in or out, and if in doubt about photography, ask on the tour.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn
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Q&A
- What is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn is an early Showa-era timber building combining a bent-plan single-story barn along the road with a lofted nagayamon gatehouse, covering 92 square meters.
- What does koji-making refer to in the name of the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn?
- In the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn, the part of the gatehouse east of the gateway is a koji room, so the name records that the building was used to make koji for soy sauce.
- When was the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn registered?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 2, 2006.
- Where is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn stands across the road from the Yamasan brewery and residence, at 182-1 Uchihama-ko, Umaki, Shodoshima-cho.
- Can you see the Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn from outside?
- Yes. The Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn lines the road, so its exterior can be seen from the street. Seeing inside depends on Yamasan's reserved tour.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn |
|---|---|
| Location | 182-1 Uchihama-ko, Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 92 m² (single-story timber frame; gatehouse with loft storey) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road; interior on guided tours by reservation |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Yamasan Soy Sauce Koji-Making Nagayamon Gate and Barn
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005367
- Shodoshima Town: Yamasan Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. (Japanese)
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/kanko/miru/sangyo/yamasan.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
