A White-Walled Storehouse of 1907
The Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse (旧野澤豊五郎醸造前蔵, Kyū Nozawa Toyogorō Jōzō Maegura) is a storehouse of 1907 for fermenting soy sauce in Shioya, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tile roof and a building area of 150 square metres; registration number 15-0444.
The Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse is joined to the south side of the soy sauce storehouse and was used for setting soy sauce to ferment (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Murakami City's plan for its cultural properties also lists it as a building of 1907.
Plaster Walls and a Gable Entrance
The Front Storehouse has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and is entered from the gable end, the Tsumairi arrangement (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its walls are sealed in Shikkui lime plaster, and high on each long side are four windows.
The south gable carries the Marumasu crest (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Marumasu was the trade name of the brewery, which is also why the soy sauce storehouse is known locally as the former Marumasu storehouse (Niigata Prefecture).
An Interior Laid Out for Casks
Inside the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse, two rows of posts run the length of the building and rise all the way to the roof, tied together with horizontal dosashi beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The casks stood along the walls, with an aisle down the middle (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The two rows of posts frame that aisle, so the plan itself shows how the storehouse was worked.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Of the three registered buildings of the brewery it is the only plastered Dozo-zukuri storehouse; the soy sauce storehouse is clad in clapboard and the lower storehouse in vertical boards (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
Look first for the Marumasu crest on the south gable of the Front Storehouse. Set against the white plaster, it marks whose storehouse this was.
Notice too the four windows placed high on each long side. Kept up near the eaves, they leave the lower walls as plain white surfaces.
Visiting
There is no official information on access to the interior of the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse. The soy sauce storehouse is opened for events (Murakami City Tourist Association), but there is no word on whether the Front Storehouse opens too, so ask the Shioya Revitalization Council (tel. 0254-66-5507).
There is no official guidance on photography. Stay off the property and view the building from the street.
Q&A
- When was the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse built?
- In 1907 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse used for?
- Fermenting soy sauce: casks stood along the walls with an aisle down the middle (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Marumasu crest on the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse?
- On the south gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Marumasu was the trade name of the brewery (Niigata Prefecture).
- Can I go inside the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse?
- No official information on interior access was found; ask the Shioya Revitalization Council (tel. 0254-66-5507).
- When was the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse (旧野澤豊五郎醸造前蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1146 Shioya Kosenjiwaki, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey dozo-zukuri building, tile roof, 150 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no information on interior access) |
References
- Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Front Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011102
- Shioya Revitalization Council receives a minister's award (Niigata Prefecture, Murakami Regional Development Bureau, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/sec/murakami_kikaku/1356871156744.html
- Former Marumasu Soy Sauce Storehouse (Murakami City Tourist Association, Japanese)
- https://www.sake3.com/spot/7085
- Murakami City Plan for the Preservation and Use of Cultural Properties (Murakami City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.murakami.lg.jp/uploaded/life/94388_226289_misc.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.02
