A Storehouse Brewery 36 Metres Long
Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse (森民酒造店酒造蔵, Moritami Shuzōten Shuzōgura) is a clay-walled sake brewing hall of around 1883 in Iwadeyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 November 2015.
It runs east to west from the far side of the kamaya, 36 metres along its length. Built in dozo-zukuri construction, with thick earthen walls under a steel-sheet roof, it has a single storey and a building area of 551 square metres, the largest of the eight Moritami listings. Its registration number is 04-0117.
It dates from about 1883, at the founding, and was altered around 1975 and in 2011. The Miyagi Osaki Tourism Bureau notes that the shop, steaming house and brewing hall are still used as they were, and the brewery's Moriizumi sake is still made here.
Mezzanine, Yeast Room and Truss
The interior is essentially one great room. Along part of the south side a mezzanine floor was laid, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies as a platform for mashing work.
In the southeast corner is a yeast room, a space partitioned off inside the hall for handling the yeast that drives fermentation.
The roof is carried on a king post truss, a Western-style frame of a central post and diagonal members that spans a wide interior without a forest of columns. A traditional clay-walled storehouse topped with a truss type that spread in Japan after the Meiji Restoration: that pairing is the structural interest of the building.
The Building That Defines the Brewery
The Agency describes Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse as the large sake hall that gives the brewery its character and credits it with contributing to the surrounding townscape, which is also the stated ground for its registration.
In the line of buildings running west from the street, shop, kamaya and brewing hall, this is the last and by far the longest. It receives the steamed rice from the kamaya and takes the sake from mashing through fermentation.
Thick earthen walls slow the passage of outside temperature into a building, which is why winter brewing halls were traditionally built this way.
Visiting
Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse is a working brewery and is not freely open. Sources disagree on tours: the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization describes visits by reservation outside the brewing season, while the Miyagi Sake Brewers Association lists them as unavailable. Contact the brewery before you go.
If you are shown inside, keep clear of tanks and work in progress, and ask before taking photographs.
Directions and shop hours are on the Moritami Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- How big is Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse?
- It is 36 metres long with a building area of 551 square metres, the largest of the eight registered Moritami buildings.
- When was Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse built?
- Around 1883. It was altered around 1975 and in 2011.
- What is inside Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse?
- A mezzanine floor for mashing work along the south side, a yeast room in the southeast corner, and a roof carried on a king post truss.
- Can I visit Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse?
- It is a working brewery and not freely open. Sources differ on whether tours are offered, so contact the brewery in advance.
- What kind of roof frame does Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse have?
- A king post truss, a Western-style frame of a central post and diagonals that spans the wide interior with few columns.
Basic Information
| Name | Moritami Sake Brewery Brewing Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 15 Kamikawaramachi, Iwadeyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/11/17 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse construction, single storey; steel-sheet roofing; building area 551 square metres; 36 metres long |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Working brewery; ask the brewery about interior visits |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 森民酒造店酒造蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010721
- Miyagi Osaki Tourism Bureau: Moritami Shuzoten
- https://www.miyagi-osaki.com/en/food/moritamishuzouten.html
- Miyagi Sake Brewers Association: Moritami Shuzoten
- https://miyagisake.jp/kuramoto/moritami/
- Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization: Showa Retro Museum
- https://www.tohokukanko.jp/sozaishu/detail_1004352.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
