What Is the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney?
The Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney (井上酒造煙突, Inoue Shuzō Entotsu) is a brick chimney built around 1953 on the premises of Inoue Sake Brewery in Dosako, Ōaza Ōhi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on August 1, 2016.
It is counted as one structure rather than one building, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs database classifies it as a miscellaneous structure. It stands at the far western end of the brewery premises, on the same lot, 2299-1, as the store and main house.
A 1.4-Meter Square Base in English Bond
According to the Agency, the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney rises about 18 meters from a base 1.4 meters square. The shaft is square in section, and an arched opening is set into its foot.
The bricks are laid in English bond: courses showing the long faces of the bricks alternate, one for one, with courses showing only their short ends. Because the bricks lock into each other through the thickness of the wall, the bond is a strong one, and up close the shaft reads as stripes of long rectangles and small squares.
Brewery chimneys were generally built to carry smoke from the rice-steaming furnace and boiler high above the roofs. The Inoue Shuzō chimney went up about eight years after the end of the Second World War, a reminder that brick was still the material of choice for such stacks in postwar rural Japan.
One of Three Large Brick Chimneys Left in Hita
The Agency describes the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney as one of three large brick chimneys still standing in Hita City, and as a local landmark that people associate with sake making. It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
At around 18 meters, the chimney marks the brewery from a distance in the hills of Ōtsuru. It was registered on the same day as the store and main house and the wooden storehouse, and the three together shape the face of the brewery.
Visiting the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney
Because the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney stands at the back of the premises, a close look at the arched opening and the brick bond means entering the site. Brewery tours run by reservation, and it is not published whether visitors are taken near the chimney, so ask when you book.
Its height makes the upper part easy to pick out above the roofs from outside the site. If you stop to look or take photographs from the road, choose a spot that does not block traffic or vehicles going in and out.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney
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Q&A
- When was the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney built?
- Around 1953.
- How tall is the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney?
- About 18 meters, on a base 1.4 meters square.
- How are the bricks of the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney laid?
- In English bond, with courses of long faces and courses of short ends alternating. There is an arched opening at the base.
- When was the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney registered as a cultural property?
- On August 1, 2016. It is one of three large brick chimneys left in Hita City and was valued as a local landmark.
- Can the Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney be seen from outside the brewery?
- Its height makes the upper part easy to spot above the roofs. To see the base up close, ask when booking a brewery tour (telephone 0973-28-2211).
Basic Information
| Name | Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney (井上酒造煙突) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2299-1 Dosako, Oaza Ohi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick, height 18 m, base 1.4 m square |
| Owner | Inoue Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Upper part visible from outside the site; ask about the base when booking a brewery tour |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011229
- Cultural Heritage Online: Inoue Sake Brewery Chimney
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/280566
- Oita Prefectural Board of Education: List of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties (PDF)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
- Inoue Shuzo: Brewery Tours
- https://www.kakunoi.com/tour/index01.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
