A Small White Storehouse on the Street
The Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse (田中酒造場店蔵, Tanaka Shuzōjō Misegura) is a Taishō-era (1912–1926) earthen storehouse on the old Inaba Kaidō post town of Ōhara-juku in Furumachi, Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017.
It stands immediately north of the brewery's main house, facing the street. The building is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri structure, thick clay walls over a timber frame, roofed in pantiles (Sangawara-buki), with a building area of just 27 square meters. It is the smallest of the brewery's five registered buildings, and one of only two that face the old road.
Its ridge runs parallel to the main house, and its door is not on the street front but in the narrow gap left between the two buildings. The name misegura means a storehouse used for trade, the same term as the Misegura merchant storehouses of eastern Japan, but no published record says what this one held.
Why It Was Registered
The Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape; the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an earthen storehouse that gives the street its character.
That character comes from the walls. They are plastered in white Shikkui all the way up to the eaves, a fully sealed finish called nurigome that hides every piece of timber. A band of Namako-kabe, square tiles set in raised plaster joints, runs around the base and again along the lower part of the upper storey, and at the four corners the tiled band climbs almost to the roof. The result is a white box edged with vertical stripes of lattice.
Although it is a Taishō building, it shares its wall treatment with the main house of around 1885. Two buildings of different eras speak the same visual language to the street, and the brewery front reads as one.
What to Look For
Look first at the corners. While the tile bands run level around the base and the upper floor, the corner strips rise vertically, framing the silhouette. Corners take the most knocks and weather, so tiling them was likely practical as well, but from across the street the main effect is a crisp outline.
Then look at the join with the main house. The door of the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse faces into the narrow slot between the two, so from the front you see only an unbroken white wall. That closed face is exactly what makes it read as a storehouse.
Size is part of the point. At 27 square meters it has roughly one-ninth the footprint of the main house next door. Step back and view the two together to see how the small white block balances the wide merchant front.
Visiting the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse
The exterior of the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse can be viewed freely from the old road. It stands on private brewery property and the interior is not open to the public.
Because the entrance faces the gap beside the main house, it is hard to see from the street; there is no need to step onto the property to find it. The street front and north side give the full picture. Brewery tours are by reservation only and have been suspended at times, so ask the brewery directly about the interior.
No published photography rules turned up; photographing the exterior from the street is fine as part of the townscape.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō era (1912–1926). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017.
- Can you go inside the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse?
- No, the interior is not open to the public. Brewery tours are by reservation and are sometimes suspended, so check with the brewery before visiting.
- Where is the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse?
- It stands on the old Inaba Kaido street in Furumachi, Mimasaka, directly north of the brewery's main house. The Furumachi streets are about a five-minute walk from Ohara Station on the Chizu Express Chizu Line.
- What is special about the walls of the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse?
- The walls are plastered white up to the eaves, with a namako-kabe tile band at the base and along the lower upper storey. At the four corners the tiled band rises almost to the roof, outlining the building.
- Why was the Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse registered?
- It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, as an earthen storehouse that defines the character of the old post-town street.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1655 Yashiki, Furumachi, Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, pantile roof, building area 27 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Tanaka Sake Brewery works) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the old road; interior not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tanaka Sake Brewery Shop Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012034
- Tanaka Sake Brewery: company profile, tours and access
- https://www.musashinosato.com/06_company.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
