About the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery (ヤマサン醤油三階建醤油醸造工場) is a Taisho-era, three-story wooden brewing building in Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Kagawa Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2002.
It stands near the middle of the Yamasan works: a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) building roofed in pantiles (Sangawara-buki), with its ridge running east to west. In plan it measures 4 ken by 3.5 ken, a building area of 56 square meters. That is modest on paper, but every other shed and storehouse around it has a single story, so height alone makes it the landmark of the site.
A mashing room and a boiler room are attached to its west and south walls. The layout reads like a core with working spaces added around it, which says a good deal about where this building sat in the brewing process.
Why the Three-Story Brewery Was Listed
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it rises clearly above the other brewing buildings and the family residence, and that it has become the symbol of Yamasan Soy Sauce.
The storehouses and the washing area listed in the same year spread out horizontally. This building goes up instead, and in a district of low tiled roofs it is the one gable that breaks the skyline. That vertical accent is exactly the kind of landscape value the listing describes.
What to Look For at the Yamasan Three-Story Brewery
Start with the walls. They are clad in yakiita, cedar boards charred on the surface and fixed vertically, a finish often used on buildings exposed to salt air around the Seto Inland Sea. Three stories of dark vertical boarding make the building look taller still.
The roof is carried on a King post truss, a Western-style frame with a central post and diagonal braces that can span wider than traditional Japanese roof framing. Finding one in a Taisho-era soy sauce works shows a brewer willing to adopt new construction methods.
At ground level, look at where the roofs of the mashing room and boiler room meet the main walls. The junctions show how the attached sheds were fitted onto the three-story core.
Visiting the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Brewery
The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery stands inside a working brewery and is not open for casual entry. Shodoshima Town lists the three-story building among the stops on Yamasan's reserved brewery tour; how far inside you go depends on the guide on the day.
Because it rises above the surrounding rooftops, its upper floors are easy to spot even from outside the grounds. Ask about photography when you book or at the start of the tour.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery
- [ Naoshima Art Island & Kotohiragu Shrine Visit ]
Q&A
- What is the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery is a Taisho-era, three-story wooden building near the center of the Yamasan brewery, gabled and tiled, with a building area of 56 square meters.
- When was the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery registered as a cultural property?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 25, 2002, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What is special about the structure of the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery has a king post truss roof frame and walls of vertically fixed charred cedar boards, with a mashing room and boiler room attached on two sides.
- Can you go inside the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery?
- The Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery is listed by Shodoshima Town as one of the stops on Yamasan's reserved brewery tour. Access to the interior depends on the tour, so ask when you book.
- Can you see the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery from outside the brewery?
- Yes. Because the Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery is taller than all the single-story buildings around it, its roof and gable are easy to pick out from outside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery |
|---|---|
| Location | 140-2 Ishii-ko, Umaki, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 56 m² (three-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 Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002831
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamasan Soy Sauce Three-Story Soy Sauce Brewery (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140101
- Shodoshima Town: Yamasan Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. (Japanese)
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/kanko/miru/sangyo/yamasan.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
