A reception room ringed by storehouses
Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing (丸本家住宅座敷屋, Marumoto-ke Jūtaku Zashikiya) is a single-storey timber reception building of the mid-Meiji period at 2485 Yoshimune, Honjo, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 December 2003.
It was built so that the Marumoto brewing family could receive guests. The footprint is 61 square metres. Of the eleven listed structures in the compound it is the only one from the Meiji era, and the oldest.
It stands almost dead centre, with the West Storehouse on one side, the East Storehouse on the other and the shop and South Storehouse to the south, facing north. In the middle of a working brewery sits one small building given over entirely to hospitality.
A roof that changes shape end to end
The roof is what makes the Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing worth seeking out. The main body is covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles and swells upward in a pronounced convex curve, known as mukuri, which reads softer and more domestic than the upswept eaves of a temple.
That roof is finished differently at each end: Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable on the south, plain Kirizuma-zukuri gable on the north. Changing form from one end of a single roof to the other is unusual, and it means the building has two quite different silhouettes depending on whether you see it from the garden or from the front.
A Geya lean-to runs around the main body, covered this time in Hongawarabuki round-and-flat tiles, so the texture of the tile changes between the upper and lower roofs. Along the north side the lean-to carries a row of small hip-and-gable ends, giving the front a run of little triangular gables.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums it up as small but varied and distinctive. For 61 square metres of floor there is a great deal of roof, and the Zashikiya makes up in intricacy for what it lacks in size.
The core of the household
It was registered on 1 December 2003 and gazetted on 25 December, in the thirty-ninth round of registrations. The registration number is 33-0066 and the criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
The Agency describes the building as the core of the compound. Where the storehouses each hold one outer face of the site, the Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing holds the centre. A small, many-roofed house set inside a ring of white storehouse walls makes it plain that this was a home as well as a factory.
A brewer received customers, master brewers and local notables. Giving them a separate room at the very centre of the works says a good deal about how closely the business and the household were bound together.
The garden to the south is closed on its south and west sides by the Marumoto Family Residence Wall. Both were listed as shaping the centre of the compound, and they make most sense seen together.
Visiting
Because the Reception Wing sits in the middle of the compound, ringed by storehouses, it is hard to see from the road outside. The north front with its row of gables, and the roof that changes shape from end to end, can only really be appreciated from inside the yard.
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 Family Residence Reception Wing?
- No. The interior is closed, and the brewery's pre-booked tours follow the brewing process, so they do not necessarily include it. As of 25 September 2026 no tour dates were scheduled.
- How old is Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period. It is the only Meiji building among the eleven listed at the Marumoto compound and the oldest on the site.
- What is unusual about the roof of Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing?
- The main roof is pantiled with a strong convex curve and is hip-and-gable at the south end but a plain gable at the north. The surrounding lean-to uses round-and-flat tiles and carries a row of small gables on the north side.
- What was Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing used for?
- It was a reception room for guests, standing at the centre of the compound and facing north. The Agency regards it as the core of the household ensemble.
- When was Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing 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 33-0066.
Basic Information
| Name | Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing |
|---|---|
| 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 | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, footprint 61 square metres |
| Owner | Marumoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed. Stands at the centre of the compound and is hard to see from outside |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Marumoto Family Residence Reception Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003695
- Marumoto Shuzo, Okayama Kanko Web (Okayama Tourism Federation)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_11569.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
