Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Kagawa

Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse

Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse: A Small Taisho Store

The Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse on Shodoshima is a mid-Taisho store with a canopied gable doorway and two round vents, beside the boiler room. Listed 2003.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Kagawa

About the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse

The Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse (ヤマサン醤油米蔵, komegura) is a mid-Taisho single-story timber storehouse 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 east of the three-story brewery, its ridge parallel to that of the boiler room beside it. It measures 8 by 3 meters, 25 square meters in all, under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile roof (Sangawara-buki) running north to south. Of the eleven listed Yamasan buildings, only the Western-style house is smaller.

The operations shed faces it from the south across the washing area, so the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse looks onto the same work yard.

Why the Rice Storehouse Was Listed

The Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as one of the elements, along with the washing area, that make up the east side of the brewery.

On its own it is just a small store. But a brewery is not only big storehouses; it also depends on small buildings placed at key points to hold materials close to where they are needed. That even supporting buildings like this one were listed gives Yamasan's record unusual depth.

What to Look For at the Yamasan Rice Storehouse

The Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse is entered through a doorway with its own small roof, set toward the east side of the south gable. It is a store you walk into from the gable end, and the little canopy over the door keeps off the rain while giving the yard-facing side a modest face.

On the opposite, north gable, look high up for two small round vents. Set side by side near the top of the wall, they are one of the building's few decorative touches and also let air through to keep damp from building up inside.

Note how it sits next to the boiler room with the ridges parallel. Two roofs of different sizes lined up side by side add a finer layer of rooflines to the east of the three-story brewery.

Visiting the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse

The Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse is inside the brewery, and visits are by Yamasan's reserved tour. It faces the work yard, so if the tour crosses the yard you can see the south doorway across the washing area.

The round vents are on the far side, so whether you can see them depends on the tour route. Check with the guide about photography.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse; [ Naoshima Art Island & Kotohiragu Shrine Visit ]

Q&A

QWhat is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse?: AThe Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse is a mid-Taisho single-story timber store, 8 by 3 meters with a building area of 25 square meters, east of the three-story brewery at Yamasan.

QWhen was the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse registered?: AThe Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 19, 2003.

QWhat are the notable features of the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse?: AThe Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse has a canopied doorway toward the east side of its south gable and two small round vents high on its north gable.

QWhere is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse within the brewery?: AThe Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse stands east of the three-story brewery, parallel to the boiler room, facing the operations shed across the washing area.

QCan visitors see the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse?: AVisits to the Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse are through Yamasan's reserved tour. Ask when booking whether the route crosses the work yard.

Basic Information

Name	Yamasan Soy Sauce Rice Storehouse
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 25 m² (single-story timber frame)
Owner	Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database
Public Access	Grounds shown on guided tours by reservation