About the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed (ヤマサン醤油操作場, sosaba) is an early Taisho single-story timber work building on the east side of the Yamasan brewery in Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Kagawa Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
It stands south of the rice storehouse and west of the East Koji Storehouse, facing the rice storehouse across the washing area. It is a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile-roofed (Sangawara-buki) building with an east-west ridge, 9 meters deep and 85 square meters in area, with doorways on the north and west sides and a raised ventilator at the center of the roof.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed was originally a kamaba, the cooking room where soybeans were boiled or steamed, set close to the koji rooms. Cooked beans would have had only a short trip next door to be turned into koji.
Why the Operations Shed Was Listed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. Together with the washing area, the East Koji Storehouse and the rice storehouse, it forms the southeast corner of the work yard.
Washing, cooking and koji making, the whole first half of production, took place within a few dozen meters around that yard, and this probable cooking room sat at the center of it. The present name, "operations shed," also suggests that the building's use changed over the years.
What to Look For at the Yamasan Operations Shed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed is not rectangular but trapezoidal: its south wall is 11 meters long and its north wall 10 meters. The shape seems to have been set to fit the buildings and yard around it, another example of how tightly this brewery used its ground.
If this was a cooking room, the ventilator on the ridge would have let out steam and heat. Compare its raised roof with those on the boiler room and the pressing shed, and you can pick out which buildings on the site were built to handle heat.
Check the doorways as well. The north door opens toward the yard with its washing area and rice storehouse, the west door toward the Western-style house and the boiler room, hinting at the routes raw materials and fuel once took.
Visiting the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed stands in the southeast part of the brewery's work yard, and visits are by Yamasan's reserved tour. From inside the yard you can see how it faces the rice storehouse across the washing area, so ask when booking whether the route crosses the yard.
Whether you can go inside depends on the guide on the day. Ask about photography as well.
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Q&A
- What is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed is an early Taisho single-story timber building, 85 square meters in area, west of the East Koji Storehouse and south of the rice storehouse at the Yamasan brewery.
- What was the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed originally used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed was once a kamaba, a cooking room where soybeans were boiled or steamed, placed next to the koji rooms.
- What shape is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed has a trapezoidal plan, 11 meters along the south side and 10 meters along the north, with a depth of 9 meters.
- When was the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed registered?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 19, 2003.
- Can visitors see the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed?
- Visits to the Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed are through Yamasan's reserved tour. Ask when booking whether the work yard and the interior are included.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed |
|---|---|
| Location | 140-2 Ishii-ko, Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 85 m² (single-story timber frame) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Grounds shown on guided tours by reservation |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Yamasan Soy Sauce Operations Shed
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003622
- Shodoshima Town: Yamasan Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. (Japanese)
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/kanko/miru/sangyo/yamasan.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
