What the Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse is
The Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse, in Japanese 旧山田本店（ヤマカノ醸造）商蔵 (Kyū-Yamada Honten Shōgura), is an early Showa era (1926 to 1945) shop storehouse in Teraike Kokonokamachi, Toyoma-machi, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021. It faces east onto the main shopping street of Toyoma and served as the brewery's shopfront.
It is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a building area of 76 m², 6 Ken long and 3 ken deep. The roof is hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) and tiled, and the front 1 ken of the ground floor projects toward the street under a lean-to roof (Geya).
Why the Shop Storehouse was registered
The Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its deliberately modern styling and the solid, dignified front it gives an old brewing house.
Earthen storehouses resist fire but tend to be closed boxes with thick walls and small windows. The Shop Storehouse keeps that frame, then faces its lower walls with stone and fills its openings with glazed doors fitted with iron bars. A shop needs light and a welcome; a storehouse needs protection. This facade manages both.
What to look for at the Shop Storehouse
Start at the base. Storehouse walls are usually finished at the bottom with Namako-kabe, the grid of square tiles and raised plaster seams. Here the ground floor is clad in stone, and only the lower part of the upper floor's front carries namako-kabe, so the two storeys read as separate bands from the street.
Then look at the roofline. The North, South and Document Storehouses on the same lot all have gabled roofs; the Shop Storehouse alone has a hipped roof, with level eaves running the full width of the front instead of a gable end.
One photograph in the Agency's record is titled as an interior view of a second-floor tokonoma, so the upper floor held a room with a decorative alcove (Tokonoma). This was more than a place to stack goods.
Visiting the Shop Storehouse
Because the Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse stands on the street, its exterior can be seen from the public road. No interior access is advertised, so the second-floor room is known only from the photograph. The building belongs to Yamakano Brewery's working head office and factory; take photographs from the street, and contact the company in advance if you hope to see inside (phone 0220-52-2511).
The facade faces east, so morning light picks out the stonework and the barred glass doors best. The carved Front Gate stands immediately to the south.
Q&A
- When was the Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse built and registered?
- It dates from the early Showa era (1926 to 1945) and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021, as a building contributing to the historic landscape.
- What kind of building is the Yamada Shop Storehouse?
- A 2-storey earthen shop storehouse that served as the brewery's shopfront: 76 m² in building area, 6 ken by 3 ken, with a hipped, tiled roof.
- What details should I look for on the Yamada Shop Storehouse?
- The stone-clad ground floor against the namako-kabe on the upper front, the iron bars set into the glazed doors, and the hipped roof, the only one among the registered storehouses on the lot.
- Can I go inside the Yamada Shop Storehouse in Toyoma?
- No interior access is advertised. The exterior can be seen from the street. For anything more, ask Yamakano Brewery in advance.
- Who owns the Yamada Shop Storehouse?
- The national database lists Vital-Net, Inc. as owner. Yamakano Brewery has its head office and factory on the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse (旧山田本店（ヤマカノ醸造）商蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Teraike Kokonokamachi, Toyoma, Toyoma-machi, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 4 February 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 76 m² (6 ken by 3 ken) |
| Owner | Vital-Net, Inc. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street; no interior access advertised |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Yamada Main Store (Yamakano Brewery) Shop Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013480
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Document Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013481
- Yamakano Brewery official website (Japanese)
- https://www.yamakano.co.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
