A two-storey shop at the gate
Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop (丸本酒造店, Marumoto Shuzō-ten) is a two-storey timber shop building of the early Taisho period at 2485 Yoshimune, Honjo, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 December 2003.
It is the public face of the Marumoto brewing compound, standing on the west side of the approach that opens on the south, and it is the first building a visitor meets. The footprint is 63 square metres. The ten, or shop, in its name means the sales room and office, not the company as a whole.
The ground floor is a shop of earth-floored room and counting desk; upstairs is a tatami room. Trade below, private or guest rooms above: the arrangement is close to that of a town house.
A lean-to in front and a hip-and-gable to the east
The roof is Sangawara-buki pantile. A Geya lean-to is attached along the south front, pushing the ground-floor eaves forward and drawing a horizontal line between the two storeys, with the upper wall rising behind it.
The two ends of the roof are treated differently. The east end is Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable and shows its gable to the approach. The west end runs straight into the neighbouring West Storehouse, so that the Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop reads less as a free-standing building than as a shopfront fixed to the end of the store.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the exterior plain but tall. Tall here means eaves and ridge set high, and that height is what gives the shop its presence on only 63 square metres.
The south face of the compound
It was registered on 1 December 2003 and gazetted on 25 December, in the thirty-ninth round. The registration number is 33-0068 and the criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
The Agency describes Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop as a principal element in the south elevation of the compound. In front of it are the side gate, wall and stone steps, which give the shop front its raised position above the river. Looking up from the approach, the steps, the wall, the lean-to, the upper wall and the east gable stack up one behind the other.
A brewer's shop was where sake was sold, paid for and entered in the books, and the earth floor and counting desk still describe that trade. The brewing stores close off the back and sides of the property, and only the shop opens outward, which is the typical shape of a brewer's house.
Visiting
The best view of Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop is from the southern approach, where the south lean-to, the east gable and the side gate and steps in front come into view together.
The Okayama Tourism Federation lists sake sales and tasting at the brewery, but published sources do not say whether the counter is inside this registered building. The interior is closed, and because the brewery's pre-booked tours follow the brewing process, a tour will not necessarily stop here. As of 25 September 2026 no tour dates were scheduled. No photography policy has been published, so ask when booking. Directions and visiting conditions for the whole site are on the Marumoto Family Residence and Marumoto Sake Brewery page. Details were checked on 25 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop?
- The building is not opened as a heritage interior. The Okayama Tourism Federation says sake can be bought and tasted at the brewery, but it is not confirmed whether that counter is in this building.
- What kind of building is Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop?
- An early Taisho two-storey timber shop with a footprint of 63 square metres. The ground floor is an earth-floored sales room with a counting desk, the upper floor a tatami room, and a lean-to runs along the south front.
- What shape is the roof of Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop?
- It is pantiled, hip-and-gable at the east end, and joined at the west end to the West Storehouse.
- Where is the best place to see Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop?
- From the approach on the south side of the compound, where the lean-to, the east gable and the side gate, wall and steps in front are seen together.
- When was Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop registered as a cultural property?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registered on 1 December 2003 and gazetted on 25 December of that year in the thirty-ninth round, with registration number 33-0068.
Basic Information
| Name | Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop |
|---|---|
| Location | 2485 Yoshimune, Honjo, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/12/1 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, footprint 63 square metres |
| Owner | Marumoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed. Exterior visible from the southern approach |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003697
- Cultural Heritage Online, Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/116777
- Marumoto Shuzo, Okayama Kanko Web (Okayama Tourism Federation)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_11569.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
