A Sake Shop Rebuilt after the Tsunami
The Kakuboshi Shop (角星店舗) is a two-storey earthen-walled shop of about 1930 in Uomachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which in 2003 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 99 square metres, registered as a structure not easily reproduced.
The Kesennuma tourism bureau notes that Kakuboshi, founded in 1905, is one of the two sake breweries in Kesennuma.
Structure
According to the Agency, it stands on the street in Uomachi facing the inner harbour at the head of Kesennuma Bay, a two-storey gabled, pantiled building in earthen-storehouse style.
Because its plan is an irregular quadrilateral following the plot, the posts, projecting beams and rafters on both sides are cut as parallelograms, a delicate shop building showing rare carpentry skills.
What to Look For
The tourism bureau notes that, to face the front toward the sea, the posts, beams, brackets and tiles on both sides are set at an angle.
It adds that in the Great East Japan Earthquake the ground floor was wrecked and the upper floor swept to the back of the plot; the building was dismantled and rebuilt on its original site in November 2016.
Visiting the Kakuboshi Shop
The tourism bureau says the ground floor is now a shop and the upper floor displays the story of the restoration and serves as a community space.
Enquiries: Kakuboshi, 0226-22-0001.
Q&A
- When was the Kakuboshi shop built?
- Around 1930.
- What is unusual about its plan?
- An irregular quadrilateral, with posts and beams cut as parallelograms.
- What is Kakuboshi?
- A sake brewery founded in 1905.
- Was it damaged in 2011?
- Yes; it was rebuilt on its original site in November 2016.
- How is it used today?
- A shop below and an exhibition and community space above.
Basic Information
| Name | Kakuboshi Shop (角星店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1-9 Uomachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/1/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen-walled building, tiled roof, building area 99 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Operating as a shop |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kakuboshi Shop (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003046
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kakuboshi Shop (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/179266
- Kesennuma Tourism Bureau: Kakuboshi Shop (Japanese)
- https://kesennuma-kanko.jp/kazamachi_kakuboshi/
Last verified: 2026.09.29