A Rice Mill That Changed Places Around 1960
Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse (梅ヶ枝酒造旧北蔵, Umegae Shuzō kyū-kitagura) is a Meiji-era earthen-walled building on the north side of the Umegae Sake Brewery compound in Jomacho, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture; it was moved to its present site around 1960 and became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002. It stands north of the residence.
It began as a rice-polishing mill. Sake rice is milled to strip away the outer layers, which carry flavors brewers want to avoid, so polishing is the first step of production. Of the seven registered buildings, the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse is the only one that dealt with raw material.
Before the move it stood north of the storage warehouse, which lies west of the main house. Reading the relative positions in the Agency for Cultural Affairs description, the building shifted from the northwest part of the lot to the northeast. No published source explains why it was moved.
Why Size Matters Here
The Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse measures 19.7 meters along the ridge by 6.7 meters deep, under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. A projection 7.9 meters long and only 1.9 meters wide is attached at the southeast. The main block works out to about 132 square meters and the projection to about 15 square meters, which together match the registered building area of 147 square meters.
No other building in the group is longer. The Agency singles out that size, calling the storehouse one of the structures that record the brewery's period of growth. A single long mill suggests a business that needed to process rice in quantity.
The records disagree on one point. The structure field of the Agency's database gives a one-story Dozo-zukuri building, while the explanatory text on the same page describes it as two stories. On site you can compare the roof and window positions and judge for yourself.
What to Look For at the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse
Look at the southeast projection. At 7.9 meters long but just 1.9 meters wide, it clings to the long wall like a narrow lean-to. Sources do not say whether it served the milling work or was added when the building was moved, but it is the feature that breaks the long elevation.
Then follow the thick earthen walls and the 19.7-meter ridge line. A Meiji building relocated in the Shōwa era and kept in use until registration shows that the brewery's layout was never fixed; it was rearranged as the business changed.
Visiting the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse
The current use of the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse is not stated in published sources, and its interior is not advertised as open. It sits near working areas on the north side of the site, so the dependable way to see it is on a brewery tour, following the guide.
Directions and tour booking rules are on the Umegae Sake Brewery page.
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Q&A
- What was the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse used for?
- It was a rice-polishing mill, handling the milling of sake rice before brewing.
- When was the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse moved?
- The Meiji-era building was relocated around 1960. It previously stood north of the storage warehouse.
- Is the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse one story or two?
- The records conflict: the database's structure field says one story, while its explanatory text says two.
- How big is the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse?
- 19.7 meters by 6.7 meters, with a southeast projection 7.9 meters long and 1.9 meters wide. The building area is 147 square meters.
- Can I see inside the Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse?
- The interior is not advertised as open. View the exterior on a brewery tour, following your guide.
Basic Information
| Name | Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 317 Jomacho, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered February 14, 2002 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 19.7 meters by 6.7 meters, with a southeast projection 7.9 meters long and 1.9 meters wide; building area 147 square meters |
| Owner | Umegae Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior not advertised as open |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Umegae Sake Brewery Former North Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002733
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Umegae Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002732
Last verified: 2026.09.19
