A long storage shed on the east edge
Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed (丸本酒造東囲蔵, Marumoto Shuzō Higashi Igura) is a single-storey timber storage 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 stands immediately east of the East Storehouse, along the eastern boundary of the compound. The plan is long and narrow, 30 metres by 6 metres, with a footprint of 170 square metres: a building five times as long as it is deep, laid out like a strip.
It was built for storage. Unlike the East and West storehouses, where the mash was fermented, the igura held tools and materials and took no part in the brewing itself. It is built more lightly as a result, and the difference in character is obvious when it is seen next to the East Storehouse.
Slender logs, trusses and exposed eaves
The posts and beams are slender round logs. The East Storehouse next door is also framed in logs, but heavy ones suited to a large fermentation store; Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed makes do with light timber matched to what a storage building has to carry.
The roof is carried on trusses and finished as a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in Sangawara-buki pantiles. A span of 6 metres is not beyond a traditional roof frame, yet a truss was used here; it can be read as part of the spread of Western-style framing across the compound.
The outer walls are ogabe, finished so that the posts are buried in the plaster and not seen. The eaves, however, are left unplastered. Where an earth-walled fermentation store would be sealed in clay and Shikkui right up under the roof for fire protection, the storage shed has plastered walls and bare timber eaves. The level of finish was matched to the job.
The east edge of the compound
It was registered on 1 December 2003 and gazetted on 25 December, in the thirty-ninth round. The registration number is 33-0074 and the criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs says Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed, together with the East Storehouse, shapes the eastern edge of the compound. For 30 metres its low wall and tiled roof draw a straight line along the boundary.
Storage sheds rarely get the attention given to fermentation stores. This one was listed because the outline of the compound is only complete with its supporting buildings included, and of all eleven registrations it shows most clearly that it is the household as a whole, rather than the rank of any single building, that was being recognised.
Visiting
Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed lines the eastern edge of the compound beside the East Storehouse. Look for the 30-metre run of wall and the exposed timber eaves, and compare them with the eaves of the East Storehouse next door.
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.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed
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Q&A
- Can you go inside Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed?
- No. The interior is closed, and pre-booked tours follow the brewing process, so they may not stop here. As of 25 September 2026 no tour dates were scheduled.
- What was Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed used for?
- Storage. It stands next to the East Storehouse, where fermentation took place, and held tools and materials.
- How big is Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed?
- It is 30 metres long and 6 metres deep, with a footprint of 170 square metres.
- How is Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed built?
- The frame is slender round logs with a trussed roof under a gabled pantile covering. The outer walls conceal the posts in plaster, but the eaves are left unplastered.
- When was Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed 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 33-0074.
Basic Information
| Name | Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed |
|---|---|
| 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 170 square metres; 30 metres by 6 metres |
| Owner | Marumoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed. On the east edge of the compound, next to the East Storehouse |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Marumoto Sake Brewery East Storage Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003703
- Marumoto Shuzo, Okayama Kanko Web (Okayama Tourism Federation)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_11569.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
