Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse

A Storehouse for Sake Lees

The Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse (長野銘醸粕蔵, Nagano Meijō Kasugura) is a late Edo-period single-storey storehouse just north of the brewing hall at the Nagano Meijo sake brewery in Yahata, Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 19, 2014.

Built between 1830 and 1868 and altered between 1883 and 1897, it is a Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof, 11 metres by 6.1 metres on plan for a building area of 67 square metres, its ridge running north to south. The registration number is 20-0471.

Sake lees are still matured inside. The West Barn joins its north end and the brewing hall lies to the south, so from the gatehouse the three buildings line up one behind another.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes the Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse began as two separate storehouses, one behind the other, joined into one in the mid-Meiji era by removing the wall between them.

Sake kasu, the lees, are the solids left when the fermented mash is pressed. Used in pickles, soups and the sweet drink amazake, the fresh white sheets darken and gain sweetness and savour as they age. A storehouse devoted to maturing them says something about the range of this brewery's work.

It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape, and together with the West Barn at its north end it forms part of the brewery scene.

What to Look For

Earthen Walls and a Timber Skirt

Instead of a white Shikkui finish, the walls stop at the intermediate coat, leaving an earthen tone that matches the West Barn next door. Only the west face has Shitami-itabari clapboarding along its base, protecting it from splash-back.

Looking for the Seam

At 11 metres long, the Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse reads as one building. Follow the walls and roof from end to end and look for where two became one. The official description presents the joining as a probability, and no source found here marks where the seam lies.

Joined to the West Barn

The West Barn, said to have been the brewery shop, is attached to the north end. With the same earthen finish, the pair make a single range running south from the gatehouse.

Visiting the Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse

The Nagano Meijo Lees Storehouse stands in the middle of the compound; from the road you can glimpse it only through the gateway, beyond the West Barn. It is still used for maturing lees, and how much of the interior you see depends on the tour.

Directions to the brewery and the arrangements for tours, open days and photography are covered on the Nagano Meijo page.