A Roofed Wall Around the Southwest Corner
Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall (石川酒造西土塀, Ishikawa Shuzō Nishi Dobei) is a roofed boundary wall 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 24-0145, the last of the brewery's 15.
It runs from the southwest corner of the property and ends against the South Archive Storehouse. The wall is timber-framed, topped with a pantiled roof (Sangawara-buki), 19 metres long and 3.1 metres high. Despite the name dobei, earthen wall, it is not rammed earth; it is a timber frame with finished wall surfaces.
It screens the domestic side of the property, the Main House, West Reception Wing and South Archive Storehouse, from the outside. The brewing buildings stand farther north and west; this is the wall that tidies the edge of the family's half.
Why It Was Registered
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes how it helps give order to the grounds of a large, long-established brewery.
The outer face has overlapping boards (Shitami-itabari) up to waist height, and above them a band of white plaster (Shikkui) with the posts left exposed (Shinkabe), so timber draws vertical lines across the white. On top, brackets projecting from the wall carry an outrigger beam, and the tiles sit on that. It is the same bracketed-eave system (Degeta-zukuri) used on buildings, applied here to a wall, so the little roof reaches well out and keeps rain off the face below.
The inner face is plain cedar boarding. Care and plaster where outsiders would look, simple boards on the private side: the same thinking that gave the South Archive Storehouse different finishes on different faces.
What to Look For
On the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall, look for the brackets and the outrigger beam. The brackets poke out of the wall at regular intervals, and the beam they carry supports the edge of the tiled roof. A run of miniature eaves along the top of a wall gives it a dignity an ordinary board fence lacks.
The exposed-post plaster band is the other feature. Posts divide the white panels, set sharply against the dark boarding below. At 3.1 metres, the wall stands well above head height and firmly closes off the house side of the property.
At its east end the wall meets the South Archive Storehouse, and its little roof butts against the storehouse's white wall. That junction suggests wall and storehouse were meant as one continuous enclosure.
Visiting the West Earthen Wall
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall forms part of the property boundary, and its outer face looks outward. How much of it can be seen from the surrounding roads varies from place to place, and the cedar-boarded inner face can only be seen from inside the grounds.
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 West Earthen Wall
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- Where is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall?
- It runs from the southwest corner of the property and ends against the South Archive Storehouse.
- How big is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall?
- It is a timber wall 19 metres long and 3.1 metres high.
- Is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall made of earth?
- No. Despite the name it is timber-framed, finished with boarding and white plaster outside and cedar boards inside.
- How is the roof of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall supported?
- Brackets projecting from the wall carry an outrigger beam, which supports the pantiled roof.
- Can I see the Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall from outside?
- Its outer face looks outward as part of the boundary, but how much is visible depends on where the surrounding roads run.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikawa Sake Brewery West Earthen Wall |
|---|---|
| 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 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, length 19 metres, height 3.1 metres |
| Owner | Ishikawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Boundary wall whose outer face looks outward; how much can be seen depends on the surrounding roads |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 石川酒造西土塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009493
- 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
