A roofed loading bay in front of the West Storehouse
Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor (丸本酒造取合廊下, Marumoto Shuzō Toriai Rōka) is an open-sided single-storey timber structure of the early Showa period at 2485 Yoshimune, Honjo, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 December 2003.
Toriai means the join between two buildings. Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor runs from the back of the Marumoto Sake Brewery Shop towards the reception wing, against the east flank of the West Storehouse, and covers 123 square metres. Despite the name, it served as a loading bay where goods went in and out of the store.
It has no walls. The roof simply covers the working area in front of the storehouse, so that rice and casks could be moved in any weather without getting wet.
A flared plan and trusses on posts and beams
The plan is bachi-gata, flared like the plectrum of a shamisen, widening towards one end as it fills the gap between the back of the shop and the reception wing.
The trusses are carried partly on posts and partly on beams, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. The mix of supports suggests that the builders adjusted the structure bay by bay as the plan widened.
In front of the West Storehouse door the roof is swept down into a lower canopy, a change of shape at exactly the point where loading was busiest.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a simple building but one with a varied exterior and framing. With no walls, the triangles of the trusses and the way posts and beams meet are all on view.
Linking shop, store and house
It was registered on 1 December 2003 and gazetted on 25 December, in the thirty-ninth round. The registration number is 33-0072 and the criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
The interest of Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor lies in where it stands. It ties three very different buildings together under one roof: the shop for trade, the West Storehouse for brewing and the reception wing for family life. It was a place of work, but also sat on the route from the shop to the house behind.
It dates from the early Showa period, later than the early Taisho shop and storehouse. The brewery's history records a round of new equipment and new buildings between 1932 and 1936; the corridor's exact date is not known, but it reads as an addition that tidied up the working space between existing buildings.
Visiting
Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor lies inside the compound, behind the shop along the east side of the West Storehouse, and cannot really be seen from the road. Look for the way the plan widens, the lowered canopy at the storehouse door and the exposed, wall-less frame.
The yard is not normally open, 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.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Can Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor be visited?
- It lies inside the compound and is hard to see from the road. The yard is open only on the brewery's pre-booked tours, and as of 25 September 2026 no tour dates were scheduled.
- What was Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor used for?
- Despite its name, it was an open-sided loading bay in front of the West Storehouse, between the back of the shop and the reception wing.
- How is Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor built?
- It is a single-storey timber structure in which posts or beams carry trusses under a gabled pantile roof. The plan flares at one end, and the footprint is 123 square metres.
- When was Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa period, later than the early Taisho shop and West Storehouse.
- When was Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor 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 33-0072.
Basic Information
| Name | Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor |
|---|---|
| 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 structure, tiled roof, footprint 123 square metres |
| Owner | Marumoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | An inner loading bay, hard to see from outside. Access only on pre-booked brewery tours |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Marumoto Sake Brewery Connecting Corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003701
- Marumoto Shuzo, Okayama Kanko Web (Okayama Tourism Federation)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_11569.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
