A Miso Storehouse of 1917
The Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse (旧野澤豊五郎醸造下蔵, Kyū Nozawa Toyogorō Jōzō Shitagura) is a storehouse of 1917 for fermenting miso 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 timber building with a tile roof and a building area of 150 square metres; registration number 15-0445. It is the newest of the three registered buildings of the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery.
The Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse is joined to the east side of the soy sauce storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs), which was enlarged in the same year, 1917.
Vertical Boards and a Side Entrance
The Lower Storehouse has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and is entered from its long side, the Hirairi arrangement, with the doorway opening toward the soy sauce storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its walls are clad in Tateita-bari vertical boarding, with a row of windows high on the long sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Both buildings were for fermenting, yet the Lower Storehouse differs from the plastered front storehouse in both its entrance and its walls.
Posts and Tie Beams Inside
Inside, the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse is framed like the front storehouse: two rows of posts run the length of the building up to the roof, tied together with horizontal dosashi beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency says the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse completes a unified group of brewery buildings, and it was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. With the soy sauce and front storehouses, it keeps the brewery where soy sauce and miso were made together as one compound.
What to Look For
At the Lower Storehouse, start with the vertical boarding. Set beside the horizontal clapboard of the soy sauce storehouse, the change in the direction of the boards is easy to see.
Notice also that the doorway faces the soy sauce storehouse rather than the street. The building opens inward, toward the rest of the brewery.
Visiting
There is no official information on access to the interior of the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse. The soy sauce storehouse is opened for events (Murakami City Tourist Association), but it is not clear whether the Lower 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 Lower Storehouse built?
- In 1917 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse used for?
- Fermenting miso (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse look like?
- A gabled, tile-roofed building entered from the long side, clad in vertical boards, with its doorway facing the soy sauce storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower 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 Lower Storehouse registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nozawa Toyogoro Brewery Lower Storehouse (旧野澤豊五郎醸造下蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 timber 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 Lower Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011103
- 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
