Where the Sake Was Pressed
Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House (石川酒造槽場, Ishikawa Shuzō Funaba) is a brewing building at a sake brewery in Sakuramachi, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on March 29, 2013. Its registration number is 24-0140.
It stands at the western edge of the property: a two-storey building with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantiled roof and a building area of 141 square metres. A lean-to (Geya) on its east side is covered over by the neighbouring Steaming House. The official record is inconsistent about its construction: the structure field says clay-walled, while the explanatory note says timber.
A fune is a long wooden box used to press sake. Bags of fermented mash are stacked inside and squeezed from above, separating the clear sake from the lees. The funaba, the pressing house, is where that happened, one of the last steps before the sake was stored.
Why It Was Registered
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its walls are fully clad in weatherboarding (Shitami-itabari), and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as part of an imposing cluster of brewing buildings.
Its standout feature is inside. The northwest corner of the floor was dug out below the main level and lined with small ceramic tiles to form the pressing bay. Sinking the area where the sake runs off lets gravity do the collecting, and tile does not soak up liquid and can be washed down, which was almost certainly the reason for using it.
Few late Meiji breweries keep a pressing area built into the structure this way. Changing the floor level itself to suit the process shows a building designed as part of the brewing equipment.
What to Look For
What matters most on the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House is the sunken, tiled corner in the northwest. Nothing on the outside hints at it; the building's value lies in how its floor was shaped.
Outside, the boarded walls carry on south into the Bottling House. With two-storey work buildings lined up along the west edge, the later stages of brewing read as a single group.
The east lean-to disappearing under the Steaming House raises its own question. Was the steaming house built up against the pressing house later, or were the two planned as one? The record does not say.
Visiting the Pressing House
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House stands at the western edge of the grounds, and the interior is not open. The sunken pressing bay that makes it special is inside, so it cannot be seen on an ordinary visit.
Directions and contact details are collected on the Ishikawa Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House (Funaba)
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House used for?
- Pressing: bags of fermented mash were squeezed in a wooden box called a fune to separate the sake from the lees.
- What does Funaba mean in the name of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House?
- Funaba means pressing place. A fune is the box-shaped press used to squeeze the mash.
- What is unusual about the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House?
- Its northwest corner is dug below floor level and lined with small ceramic tiles to form the pressing bay.
- When was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House built?
- It dates from the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912.
- Can I visit the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House?
- The interior is closed. The sunken pressing bay is inside the building, so it is not visible on an ordinary visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikawa Sake Brewery Pressing House (Funaba) |
|---|---|
| Location | 128 Minamigakiuchi, Sakuramachi, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture (and adjoining lots) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/3/29 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 141 square metres |
| Owner | Ishikawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (it stands at the western edge of the grounds; the interior is closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 石川酒造槽場
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009488
- Yokkaichi City: Ishikawa Sake Brewery Main House, Great Brewhouse, Artesian Well and 15 structures in all
- https://www.city.yokkaichi.lg.jp/www/contents/1001000002649/index.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
