The Office Building at Nagano Meijo
Among the plain earthen storehouses of the Nagano Meijo compound in Hachiman, Chikuma, the office stands apart. It is a timber building rather than a dozo, two storeys under a tiled roof, covering about 198 square meters, set toward the east of the grounds and facing south. The front announces itself with a shikidai, a formal raised entrance, capped by a gently convex gabled hood. This is the face the brewery turns to the street and to its guests.
The ground floor houses the office and the retail shop, and it is the one part of the grounds open to the public without a tour. The upper floor is where the carpentry turns ambitious. Its interior walls are finished mainly in grey lime plaster, sliding transoms called osa-ranma divide the rooms, and the alcove of honor is fitted with a single wide plank of zelkova. The result is a confident piece of modern Japanese-style architecture, built to impress without shouting.
Why It Is Protected
The office was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in December 2014, part of the Nagano Meijo group. Unlike the brewery's Edo-period storehouses, it dates to 1916, the fifth year of Taisho, and it belongs to a distinct tradition. This is kindai wafu, the modern Japanese-style building, in which early twentieth-century craftsmen applied refined traditional techniques to the offices and reception rooms of a prosperous business.
The details reward a close look. A single unbroken zelkova plank in the alcove is a costly, deliberate flourish, and the grey-toned lime plaster gives the upstairs rooms a restrained, adult elegance rather than a showy brightness. Set against the working storehouses around it, the office shows the other side of a brewing house: not only the labor of production but the dignity of a family firm receiving its customers.
What to Look For
Nagano Meijo was founded by the Wada family in 1689 and remains the sole active sake brewery in Chikuma, now led by the fifteenth generation. It brews only junmai sake, drawing water from the same source that waters the Obasute rice terraces above the town. For most visitors, the office is the natural first stop, since its ground-floor shop sells the full range, from the flagship Obasute Masamune to seasonal bottles.
Step up through the shikidai entrance and you cross from the street into the world of the brewery. Even if the seasonal tour is not running, the shop keeps the building alive as a place to taste, ask questions, and choose something to take home. Pause at the entrance hood and the woodwork of the facade before you go in, since these are the first fruits of the craftsmanship that continues inside.
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Q&A
- Is the office open to the public?
- The ground floor holds the brewery shop and is open outside tour season, though hours vary and the brewery closes on Sundays and holidays. The upper floor is not a general exhibition space.
- What is a shikidai entrance?
- It is a formal raised step or platform at the main entrance of a traditional building, used historically to greet important visitors. Here it is topped by a convex gabled hood.
- Why is this building wooden when the others are earthen?
- The storehouses were built for fire-resistant storage, while the office, dating from 1916, was designed as a reception and business space in the modern Japanese-style tradition, which favored fine timber detailing.
- Can I buy sake here?
- Yes. The shop on the ground floor sells the brewery's junmai range, including Obasute Masamune, and is the easiest place to taste and purchase.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagano Meijo Office (Nagano Meijo Jimusho) |
|---|---|
| Location | 272-5 and vicinity, Nakahara, Yawata, Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registered 19 December 2014 |
| Structure | Two-storey timber building, tiled roof, floor area about 198 square meters |
| Date | 1916 (fifth year of Taisho) |
| Owner | Wada Shuten (operated as Nagano Meijo Co., Ltd.) |
| Access | Ground-floor shop open outside tour season; closed Sundays and holidays |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties — Nagano Meijo Jimusho
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010289
- Nagano Meijo Co., Ltd. — official site
- https://www.obasute.co.jp/
- Chikuma City — list of cultural properties
- https://www.city.chikuma.lg.jp/soshiki/rekishibunkazaicenter/rekishi_bunkazai/2/1875.html
Last verified: 2026.07.03