What the Masujin Sake Shop Store is
The Masujin Sake Shop Store (益甚酒店店舗, Masujin Saketen Tenpo) is a townhouse shop built in 1934 in Omachi, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
The Masujin store faces west onto the street that was the main thoroughfare of the old Murakami castle town's merchant quarter. It is a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 114 square meters. The gabled roof, covered in pan tiles, runs north to south with its long side to the street, the Hirairi arrangement, and the frontage measures 5.5 ken, about 10 meters.
It is still a shop. This is the public face of Masujin Sake Shop, a business that once brewed its own sake, and the counter where local sake is sold today is on its ground floor.
Why the Masujin Sake Shop Store was registered
The Masujin Sake Shop Store was registered as a model of good design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its tall proportions as a clear example of the townhouse style of the early Showa era.
In a Japanese townhouse, height is the telling feature. Many Edo-period townhouses kept the upper floor low, little more than a loft under the eaves, while in the modern era it became common to raise the second floor to full room height. The Masujin store keeps that later profile intact, with its shopfront still facing the street, and this is the core of the Agency's assessment.
Of the three registered buildings at Masujin Sake Shop, only the store was registered on these grounds. The main house and sake brewery and the storehouse were registered for their contribution to the historic streetscape.
Shop floor, back room and three rooms upstairs
The ground floor of the Masujin Sake Shop Store is the shop itself. Behind it is a single-storey 12-mat room, with a toriniwa, an earth-floored passage running from front to back, alongside. The passage links the shop with the main house to the rear, which begins east of the 12-mat room and is registered separately.
Upstairs are three rooms of 6, 6 and 8 mats, laid out across the full 5.5-ken frontage. Stand in the street and look up, and it is the height of this upper floor that gives the whole facade its character.
The owner says the store was once given a modern shopfront and later returned to a traditional townhouse look. The facade you see today is the result of that restoration.
Visiting the Masujin Sake Shop Store
Because the Masujin Sake Shop Store is a working shop, you can go inside during business hours. According to the Murakami tourism association, it opens from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., and is closed on Wednesdays and some other days. Entry is free.
On the shop floor are a sakabune, the wooden tank once used to press sake, and kayoi-tokkuri refill flasks. The upstairs rooms and the 12-mat room at the back are not advertised as open. No source confirms whether photography is allowed, so ask the staff first.
For the full facade, step across the street: from the far side the height of the upper floor reads clearly, while close up it is easy to miss. Directions are on the Masujin Sake Shop page.
Q&A
- Can I go inside the Masujin Sake Shop Store, and what are the opening hours?
- Yes. The Masujin Sake Shop Store is a working shop. According to the Murakami tourism association it opens from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., and is closed on Wednesdays and some other days.
- When was the Masujin Sake Shop Store built?
- In 1934. The main house behind it is older, built just after the great fire of 1892.
- Why is the Masujin Sake Shop Store a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on January 31, 2003, as a model of good design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs cites its tall proportions as typical of early Showa townhouses.
- How big is the Masujin store in Murakami, and how is it laid out?
- It is a 2-storey timber building with a building area of 114 square meters and a 5.5-ken frontage. Behind the shop floor are a 12-mat room and an earth-floored passage, and upstairs are rooms of 6, 6 and 8 mats.
- What can I see inside the Masujin Sake Shop Store?
- A sake-pressing tank and refill flasks from the shop's brewing days are displayed on the shop floor. Ask the staff before taking photographs.
Basic Information
| Name | Masujin Sake Shop Store |
|---|---|
| Location | 194 Omachi, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 31, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 114 m² |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Shop open during business hours (closed Wednesdays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Masujin Sake Shop Store (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003078
- Cultural Heritage Online: Masujin Sake Shop Store (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/138848
- Murakami City Tourism Association: Masujin (Japanese)
- https://www.sake3.com/spot/263
- Things: Masujin Saketen, a local sake shop in Murakami (Japanese)
- https://things-niigata.jp/other/masujinsaketen/
Last verified: 2026.10.21
