What the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room Is
The Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room is a single-storey reinforced concrete structure of the early Showa period in the Kawasaki district of Ise City, Mie Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 August 2001. Its building area is 12 square metres. Of the 12 listed buildings here, only this room and the cider filtration tower are built in neither timber nor earthen walling.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that Ogawa Shoten added a cider works to its sake wholesaling during the Showa period, producing and selling the drink. This small building belonged to that production line.
Why It Was Listed
The criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. Twelve square metres is not much, but the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room is one of the few surviving traces of modern manufacturing inside a merchant compound, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as small in scale yet evidence of modern industry.
Ten of the twelve listed buildings are merchant architecture of the Edo and Meiji periods. Two belong to a twentieth century factory. The chronology of this compound does not stop when the sake trade was at its height, and that is what separates it from a straightforward merchant house survival.
What to Look For
The roof is flat. Rather than leave it at that, the builders set roof tiles along the top of the parapet. A new construction method sits under an old profile so that the building does not jar against the tiled roofs around it. This pairing is the first thing to look at.
The lower part of the external wall is finished in Araidashi, washed before the cement has fully set so that the aggregate stands proud of the surface. Close up you can pick out the individual stones. Treating upper and lower wall differently on a building this small says something about the care that went into it.
Visiting
Ise City records the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room as a preparation room used when the open plaza is in service, and the interior is not open to general visitors. Viewing is from outside.
It stands on the edge of the plaza, so the whole building is visible from there. What repays attention is the line of tiles along the parapet and the texture of the washed aggregate below. Neither reads from a distance, so it is worth stopping on the way across. Reception can advise on photography.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- What kind of building is the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room?
- A single-storey reinforced concrete structure of the early Showa period covering 12 square metres, with roof tiles set along a flat-roof parapet and a washed aggregate finish to the lower walls.
- What was it used for?
- It belonged to the cider works that Ogawa Shoten added to its sake wholesaling business during the Showa period, and served as the room where the product was checked.
- Can visitors go inside the cider inspection room?
- No. Ise City records it as a preparation room for events on the adjoining plaza, so viewing is limited to the exterior.
- Why is such a small building a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was listed on 28 August 2001 under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape, as one of the few surviving traces of modern manufacturing on the site.
- Where is the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room on the site?
- Beside the open plaza, on ground that once carried the cider production area and its despatch route.
Basic Information
| Name | Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Cider Inspection Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-25-32 Kawasaki, Ise City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 28 August 2001 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, single storey; building area 12 square metres |
| Owner | Ise City |
| Public Access | Exterior only; interior closed (Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum, adult admission 350 yen; closed Tuesdays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: 伊勢河崎商人館サイダー検査室
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002268
- Ise City cultural property page: 伊勢河崎商人館サイダー検査室
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/bunkazai_shiseki/bunkazai/yukei/1005923.html
- Ise City: Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum, outline and management
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/shisetsu/syouninkan/1005012.html
- Ise City: Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum facility guide
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/shisetsu/syouninkan/index.html
Last verified: 2026.09.14
