The Newest and Largest Brewhouse at Imazato Sake Brewery
The Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura (今里酒造新蔵, Imazato Shuzō Shingura, "new brewhouse") is an early Shōwa-period two-storey timber sake brewhouse in Shukugō, Hasami Town, Nagasaki Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
It adjoins the west side of the Nakagura, with its ridge running north to south. Its address is lot 641 Shukugō, while the other five registered buildings are at lot 596. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Shingura as both the largest and the tallest building at the brewery, and Nagasaki Prefecture's database also names it the largest. The small product storage building is attached to the southern part of its east wall.
Two Full Storeys and Four Tiers of Beams
The Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura measures 18 Ken (about 33 metres) along the ridge and 6 ken (about 11 metres) across. Where the Honkura has an upper floor only in its central section, the Shingura is two storeys throughout. It is tile-roofed, with a building area of 491 square metres.
Round posts stand along the line beneath the ridge every 3 ken (about 5.5 metres), and the Roof frame is built up from beams stacked four tiers deep. The posts and the stacked beams between them carry a roof 6 ken wide.
The Only Hipped Roof, and a Story of Reused Timber
Every other brewhouse at Imazato Sake Brewery has a gable roof (Kirizuma-zukuri); the Shingura alone has a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri). The Agency points to its size, its height and this difference of roof form as the reasons it stands out from the rest of the complex.
The Agency's description adds one more line, carefully hedged: the Shingura is said to have been built from the timbers of a dismantled brewhouse. It is recorded as tradition rather than fact, and the description does not say which building the timber came from or when it was taken down.
The Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura was registered under number 42-0053 for contributing to the historic landscape. With it, the row of brewhouses that began with the late Edo Honkura and Nakagura extended further west in the early Shōwa period.
Seeing the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura
The interior of the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura is not open, so the round posts and the four-tier roof frame cannot normally be seen. The grounds open once a year for the brewery's open house, but entry to the Shingura itself has not been announced.
From outside, watch for the roof. Against the triangular gable ends of the other brewhouses, a roofline sloping down on all four sides marks the Shingura. Where exactly it can be seen from has not been confirmed, and there is no official guidance on photography.
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Q&A
- How is the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura different from the other brewhouses?
- It is the largest and tallest building at the brewery, it is two storeys throughout, and it is the only one with a hipped roof rather than a gable roof.
- When was the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Shōwa period and gives no specific year.
- Was the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura built from old timber?
- The Agency's description says it is said to have been built from the timbers of a dismantled brewhouse. This is recorded as tradition, and which building the timber came from is not known.
- How large is the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura and how is it built?
- It is 18 ken (about 33 metres) long and 6 ken (about 11 metres) wide, two storeys throughout, with a building area of 491 square metres. Round posts stand under the ridge every 3 ken, and the roof frame uses beams stacked four tiers deep.
- Can I go inside the Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura?
- The interior is not open to the public. The grounds open on the annual open-house days, but entry to the Shingura has not been announced.
Basic Information
| Name | Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura (今里酒造新蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 641 Shukugo, Hasami-cho, Higashisonogi-gun, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 491 square metres; 18 ken by 6 ken |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (on the premises of Imazato Brewery Co., Ltd.) |
| Public Access | Interior closed to the public (grounds open on the annual open-house days) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: 今里酒造新蔵 (Imazato Sake Brewery Shingura)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005385
- Nagasaki Prefecture Cultural Properties Database: Imazato Shuzo
- https://www.pref.nagasaki.jp/bunkadb/index.php/view/419
- Hasami Town: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.town.hasami.lg.jp/kiji0031441/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
