A Meiji Reception Wing with a Sukiya Touch
Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room (森民酒造店奥座敷, Moritami Shuzōten Okuzashiki) is a late-Meiji (1898 to 1912) reception wing in Iwadeyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 November 2015.
It joins the north side of the Residence by a corridor. A single-storey timber building under a tiled roof, it covers 63 square metres and is registration number 04-0114. It was altered around 1965 and in 2010.
These are the formal rooms at the far end of the house, built for receiving guests. Within about twenty years of its founding in 1883 the brewery had the means to build them.
Two Ten-Mat Rooms
The plan is simple: two ten-mat rooms side by side, east and west, wrapped by a veranda.
The west room is the senior one, fitted with a tokonoma alcove, staggered shelves and a flat shoin, a paper-screened window set flush in the wall beside the alcove rather than projecting like a tsukeshoin.
At the northwest corner a lavatory projects from the building and still holds its original blue-and-white porcelain toilet. The Agency's record goes out of its way to note that this painted fitting is original.
Rafters of Log and Square Timber
Look up at the eaves of Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room. The exposed rafters alternate slender round poles with squared timbers.
Mixing unsawn poles into the eaves comes from the sukiya manner of teahouse building, and it gives the roof edge a lighter, softer look than a row of squared rafters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the building as a reception wing with sukiya elements added.
The shopfront on the street is a plain townhouse; deep behind it, the family kept rooms of this refinement.
Visiting
Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room lies deep within the family's home, and no interior opening is advertised.
If you are ever shown onto the premises, step into the rooms or onto the veranda only when invited, and ask before taking photographs.
Directions and shop hours are on the Moritami Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- When was Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room built?
- In the late Meiji era, between 1898 and 1912. It was altered around 1965 and in 2010.
- How is the main room of Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room furnished?
- The west room has a tokonoma alcove, staggered shelves and a flat shoin window.
- What is the sukiya-style detail at Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room?
- The eave rafters alternate slender round poles with squared timbers.
- Does Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room keep any original fittings?
- Yes. The lavatory projecting at the northwest corner still has its original blue-and-white porcelain toilet.
- Can I see inside Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room?
- It is part of the family's home and no interior opening is advertised.
Basic Information
| Name | Moritami Sake Brewery Inner Room |
|---|---|
| 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 | Timber, single storey; tiled roof; building area 63 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Private living quarters; no interior opening advertised |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 森民酒造店奥座敷
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010718
Last verified: 2026.09.25
