The Front Building of Imazato Sake Brewery
The Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence (今里酒造店舗及び住宅, Imazato Shuzō Tenpo oyobi Jūtaku) is a late Edo-period two-storey timber shop and house in Shukugō, Hasami Town, Nagasaki Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
Of the brewery's registered buildings, this is the one on the street. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it on a lot along the right bank of the Kawatana River, facing south onto what was once the Kami-Hasami village highway. It is tile-roofed and covers 442 square metres, second in size only to the Shingura among the six. The Agency dates it to the late Edo period, a span it gives as 1751 to 1829, without naming a construction year.
Inside, an earth-floored Doma runs north to south through roughly the middle of the building. The office sits to the west of it and the raised-floor living rooms to the east, so business and household share a single roof.
A Hip-and-Gable Front with a Gabled Wing Behind
Look at the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence from the road and you are seeing two blocks set at right angles. The front block runs east to west, parallel to the street, under an Irimoya-zukuri roof with its entrance on the long side (Hirairi), and its upper floor is a low Tsushi-nikai loft. Behind it a second block runs north to south under a plain gable roof (Kirizuma-zukuri).
The Agency calls the result an unusual design, because part of that rear block's south gable shows above the front roof to anyone on the old highway. Nagasaki Prefecture's database describes the same thing from the other direction: a large building made of a hip-and-gable range with a gabled wing running back from its centre. From the street you get the long eaves line of the front and, above it, a triangle of gable turned the other way.
Beams over the Doma, and a Model of Form
The interior's set piece is overhead. The Agency notes the massive beams exposed above the central doma, and the prefectural database names that framing as the highlight of the building. The doma also works as a corridor. Its north end opens into the Kuramae, the working forecourt of the Honkura, so the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence stands exactly where selling sake meets making it.
Among the six registered buildings at Imazato Sake Brewery, only this one was registered under the criterion of being a model of form. The other five were registered for contributing to the historic landscape. In other words, the store and residence was judged on its architecture itself: the way its two roofs meet and the beams over its doma. Its registration number is 42-0050.
Seeing the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence
Because the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence fronts the old road, its exterior can be seen from the street. Take in the hip-and-gable front first, then look over its ridge for the rear gable. The quality the Agency singles out lies in how those two roofs relate.
The interior is not open, so there is no regular chance to see the beams over the doma. The grounds open once a year for the brewery's open house, but whether visitors can step into this building's doma has not been announced; if the framing is what you want to see, ask Imazato Brewery Co., Ltd. in advance. There is no official guidance on photography either.
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Q&A
- When was the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, which it defines as 1751 to 1829, and gives no specific year.
- What is unusual about the exterior of the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence?
- A hip-and-gable front block with a low tsushi-nikai loft is backed by a gabled wing running north to south, and part of that wing's south gable is visible from the old highway. The Agency describes this as a distinctive design.
- How is the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence laid out inside?
- An earth-floored doma runs north to south through the middle, with the office to the west and raised-floor rooms to the east. The beams over the doma are its highlight, and the doma's north end serves as the forecourt of the Honkura.
- Why is the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 2 March 2006 as a model of form. It is the only one of the six registered buildings at Imazato Sake Brewery registered under that criterion.
- Can I go inside the Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence?
- The interior is not open to the public, but the exterior can be seen from the old road. The grounds open on the annual open-house days, though access to this building has not been announced, so check with Imazato Brewery Co., Ltd.
Basic Information
| Name | Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence (今里酒造店舗及び住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 596 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 442 square metres |
| 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: 今里酒造店舗及び住宅 (Imazato Sake Brewery Store and Residence)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005382
- 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
