The House Where the Rice Was Steamed
Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya (森民酒造店釜屋, Moritami Shuzōten Kamaya) is a rice-steaming house built around 1883 for sake production in Iwadeyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 November 2015.
A kamaya, literally a cauldron house, is where brewing begins: the polished rice is steamed before it goes on to become koji or to be added to the mash. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that the brewery steamed its rice here in large cauldrons. The brewing storehouse joins the building directly on the west, which is exactly where steamed rice needs to go next.
The kamaya is a single-storey timber building roofed in steel sheet, with a building area of 305 square metres and registration number 04-0116. It dates from about 1883, at the founding, and was altered around 1965 and in 2007.
Beams and Struts on the Gable
It adjoins the Store and Main House on its west side, with the brewing storehouse beyond. The roof is a broad east-west kirizuma gable, with a lean-to canopy on the east gable end.
That gable wall is built in shinkabe fashion, leaving the structural timbers exposed, so the pattern of beams and short vertical struts that carry the roof can be read from outside. It is the defining feature of the exterior.
Inside is a brick firebox. Smoke from the fire ran through a flue to the chimney standing to the north. The Agency calls Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya a large steaming house that records one stage of the brewing process.
Water and Fire
According to the Miyagi Sake Brewers Association, a well that is still in use sits within the steaming area, and its water, very soft at 2 to 3 degrees of hardness, serves every step from washing the rice to mashing. Washing, soaking, firing and steaming were all gathered in this one building.
At 305 square metres the kamaya is far larger than the 184 square metres of the Store and Main House on the street. Handling rice and water in quantity, and setting great cauldrons, took that much floor.
The shop lies to the east, the brewing hall to the west and the chimney to the north: the kamaya is tied to all three. The 16-metre chimney visible from anywhere on the site stands there because of this building's fire.
Visiting
Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya is a working space and cannot be entered freely. Accounts of brewery tours differ: the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization describes tours by reservation outside the brewing season, while the Miyagi Sake Brewers Association lists tours as unavailable. If you hope to see inside, ask the brewery in advance.
If you are shown in, check before taking photographs and keep clear of equipment in use.
Directions and shop hours are on the Moritami Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- What was Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya used for?
- Steaming rice for brewing in large cauldrons. A brick firebox inside sent its smoke through a flue to the chimney to the north.
- When was Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya built?
- Around 1883. It was altered around 1965 and again in 2007.
- Can visitors see inside Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya?
- It is a working space and not freely open. Sources disagree on whether brewery tours are offered, so contact the brewery before you go.
- How is Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya connected to the chimney?
- A flue runs north from the brick firebox inside the kamaya to the 16-metre Moritami Sake Brewery Chimney.
- What does Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya look like?
- A broad east-west gabled building with a canopy on its east end, where the exposed beams and struts of the gable wall show the roof structure. It covers 305 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Moritami Sake Brewery Kamaya |
|---|---|
| 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; steel-sheet roofing; building area 305 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Working space; ask the brewery about interior visits |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 森民酒造店釜屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010720
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 森民酒造店煙突
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010723
- 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
