Matsumoto Sake Brewery Sakagura Hall

Built to Match Its Neighbour

Matsumoto Sake Brewery Sakagura Hall (松本酒造酒蔵ホール) is a two-storey earthen-walled brewery storehouse in Yokooji Misu Daikokucho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, built in 1924 and listed as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 24 December 2013. It stands on the Shin-Takasegawa riverbank just north of the Daikokugura, on an east-west axis, and covers 141 square metres.

Kyoto City's citation gives its name as "Sakagura Hall (formerly the Junmai Brewhouse)". Sakagura means sake storehouse; junmai is sake made from rice, water and koji alone, with no added distilled alcohol. When and why the name changed is not recorded in the published sources.

The Daikokugura went up in 1923, so the Sakagura Hall followed a year later. Once Matsumoto had established itself in Fushimi, three storehouses were built in quick succession: the Daikokugura, this hall, and the Ginjo Brewhouse. The Sakagura Hall was the second.

Construction

The building measures 19.2 metres by 7.3 metres under a gabled roof of sangawara pantiles, with Western-style trusses carrying the roof. The entrance is on the south side, toward the east end, facing the Daikokugura.

The walls are clad right up to the eaves in black vertical boarding, and the windows are spaced evenly along them. The Agency for Cultural Affairs states plainly that this was done to match the Daikokugura. Instead of showing white plaster, the clay walls are sheathed in dark timber, and the riverside frontage becomes a single composition.

The 7.3-metre span is identical to that of the Ginjo Brewhouse, which stands alongside. One is timber, the other earthen-walled, but the two were given the same depth.

Why It Matters

The hall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency credits it with creating a riverside scene of real quality by echoing the Daikokugura.

On its own the Sakagura Hall is a modest storehouse. Its point becomes clear only when you see it with its neighbour. From across the river, the gable end of the hall meets the northern end of the Daikokugura and the dark boarding carries on without a break. Building the second storehouse in the image of the first is what turned two structures into one view.

Seeing the Sakagura Hall

The interior is not open. Despite the word "hall" in its name, there is no published record of public events or tours inside, and the premises are private.

The exterior is visible from the levee on the western bank of the Shin-Takasegawa. Because it continues the line of the Daikokugura to the north, frame the two together. Photographs are taken from the levee or the public road.