A Meiji brewery building at the centre of Shodoshima's soy sauce quarter
The Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse (山吉醤油諸味蔵, Yamayoshi Shōyu Moromigura) is the fermentation hall of the former Yamayoshi soy brewery at Imasaka in the Noma district of Shōdoshima-chō, Kagawa Prefecture; built in 1888, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 9, 2005, under number 37-0258.
The building runs north to south on a plot that a small watercourse cuts across, with the mash warehouse on the southern side of the channel and a detached residence beyond it to the south. It measures roughly 24 metres along the ridge and 10 metres across, a single-storey timber structure with a gabled roof of pantiles and a registered footprint of 238 square metres. That is a long, low, deliberately plain shape, and it was arrived at by function rather than by design ambition.
Inside, the building does two different jobs. The southern half holds the moromi vats, the great cedar tubs in which steamed soybeans, roasted wheat, koji mould and salt water are left to ferment for a year or more. The northern half was given over to bottling. One end of the room smells of fermentation; the other end was where the finished liquid left the premises.
After Yamayoshi Soy Sauce closed in 2002, the building passed to Shokin Shoyu, a neighbouring maker, and it is still used for brewing. Within that company the site is known as the Yamayoshi kura. It sits on slightly higher ground than its surroundings, which keeps it a little cooler, and it is said to suit usukuchi, the pale-coloured soy sauce of western Japan. A closed brewery's building carrying on as another maker's working cellar is not a common story.
Why the building was registered
Registration was granted under the criterion that the building contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Its register number is 37-0258, part of the 45th round of registrations.
The exterior explains the criterion better than any citation. The lower part of the wall is clad in vertical boards of yakisugi, cedar whose surface has been charred to resist rot and insects, and the upper part is finished in white lime plaster. Black below, white above. Repeat that treatment across a dozen brewery buildings standing shoulder to shoulder along narrow lanes, and you have the visual signature of Hishio-no-Sato, the soy sauce quarter of eastern Shodoshima.
What to look for from the lane
Two details on the roofline repay a moment of attention. Along the southern half, a row of high windows is set just under the eaves. These are not decorative. Fermentation needs air movement without direct sunlight on the vats, and clerestory windows placed above head height give ventilation and diffuse light at the same time. On the northern ridge, over the bottling floor, a raised vent called a kemudashi lifts steam and heat out of the building.
Look at the wall boards closely and the charring is still legible on the surface, a fine alligatored texture that catches low afternoon light. Yakisugi weathers to a soft grey-black rather than a flat black, and the contrast against the plaster above changes noticeably between an overcast morning and a clear evening.
Visiting
The Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse is a working fermentation cellar used by Shokin Shoyu, and we found no public opening. The vats are in daily use; if you hope to see inside, contact the company before you go rather than turning up.
From outside the grounds, look for the charred-cedar base boards under white plaster, the row of high windows along the southern half, and the vent on the ridge of the northern half. The site is private, and the working areas are off limits.
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Q&A
- Can visitors go inside the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse?
- Not as a walk-in. It is an operating cellar used by Shokin Shoyu, with no ticket desk or visitor entrance. Contact the company in advance if you hope to see the interior; the exterior can be seen from outside the grounds.
- Is the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse still used for brewing?
- Yes. Yamayoshi Soy Sauce closed in 2002 and Shokin Shoyu took the buildings over and resumed production. Because the site sits slightly higher and runs a little cooler, it is said to be used for pale usukuchi soy sauce.
- How old is the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse, and how large is it?
- It dates from 1888. The single-storey timber building measures about 24 metres by 10 metres, with a gabled pantile roof and a registered building area of 238 square metres.
- How is the interior of the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse divided?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the southern half holds the moromi vats and the northern half is a bottling floor, so fermentation and dispatch share one building.
- What are the high windows on the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse for?
- The windows along the southern half let air and diffuse light reach the fermenting mash without direct sun. The vent on the northern ridge lets steam and heat from bottling escape above the roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse (山吉醤油諸味蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 710 Ko, Imasaka, Noma, Shōdoshima-chō, Shōzu District, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 37-0258 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/2/9 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 24 metres by 10 metres; building area 238 square metres; single-storey timber, gabled, pantile roof |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database; the buildings are used by Shokin Shoyu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Working brewery; no general admission. Exterior from outside the grounds; ask Shokin Shoyu about the interior |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004666
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/180886
- Shokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.: Company Profile (Japanese)
- https://shokinshoyu.jp/company/
- colocal: Shokin Shoyu, Shodoshima (Japanese)
- https://colocal.jp/topics/food-japan/shoyukiko/20160122_62794.html
- Shōdoshima Town: Modern Industrial Heritage of Hishio no Sato (Japanese)
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/gyousei/kakuka/shogaigakushuka/2/1/3151.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
