The Oldest Dated Building on the Site
The Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse (田中酒造場貯蔵蔵, Tanaka Shuzōjō Chozōgura) is a brewery building completed in 1885 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 wall to wall against the west side of the brewing storehouse, its ridge running north to south. It is a single-storey timber building with a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri pantile roof (Sangawara-buki). The main block measures 21.1 meters by 8.3 meters, and with a rice-steaming room and other annexes projecting from the southern part of its west side, the building area reaches 269 square meters, the largest of the five registered buildings.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its date as 1885 outright, without the "around" attached to the main house and main storehouse. That makes the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse the one building firmly dated to the year the brewery gives for its founding.
Why It Was Registered
The Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs pairs it with the brewing storehouse as the core of the brewery's operations.
Despite its name, it did more than store. The kamaba projecting from its west side is where the rice was steamed at the start of brewing; the brewery's own account of its process describes boiling water in a large traditional cauldron with a wooden steamer (koshiki) set on top. Steamed rice feeds the koji room and the fermenting vats, and setting the two buildings wall to wall would have kept that route short.
The floor is tataki, earth rammed hard, and the ceiling is set high: a practical shell for heavy barrels, plenty of water and the damp that brewing produces.
What to Look For
The numbers tell part of the story. A main block of 21.1 meters by 8.3 meters comes to about 175 square meters, against a registered building area of 269 square meters; roughly a third of the total lies in the annexes on the west side. This is a long hall that has gathered working rooms around it and spread sideways.
It shares its 21.1-meter length with the brewing storehouse next door, and the two ridges run side by side. Because the single-storey storage warehouse and the two-storey brewing storehouse are separated by one wall, from the back of the compound you see two tile roofs of different heights running in parallel: an 1885 hall with a Taishō-era (1912–1926) building added against it. The step between the roofs is a record of the brewery's growth.
Inside, the scale of the space over the tataki floor is the thing to notice. A high ceiling in a single-storey building was presumably there to let steam and heat rise away from the work floor.
Visiting the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse
The Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse stands at the back of the property and cannot be seen from the old road. From behind the compound you can make out its roof beside that of the brewing storehouse, but little more. The interior is not open to the public.
This is a working brewery building, especially busy during the brewing season. Tours are by advance reservation for small groups only, generally not between November and March, and have been suspended at times; contact the brewery before planning a visit inside.
No published photography rules turned up. If you are shown in, the steaming room and work areas involve fire and water, so follow your guide on where to stand and when photos are allowed.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1885. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017.
- Can you go inside the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse?
- It is not regularly open. Brewery tours are by advance reservation for small groups, generally not between November and March, and are sometimes suspended, so check with the brewery first.
- How big is the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse?
- The single-storey main block measures 21.1 meters by 8.3 meters. Including the annexes on its west side, the building area is 269 square meters, the largest of the five registered buildings.
- Was the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse only used for storage?
- No. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs it has a rice-steaming room and other annexes on its west side, where rice was steamed. It is described, together with the brewing storehouse, as the core of the brewery.
- Why was the Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse registered?
- It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, as one of the two buildings at the heart of the brewery, set wall to wall with the brewing storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse |
|---|---|
| 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 | 1-storey timber building, gabled pantile roof, 21.1 meters by 8.3 meters, building area 269 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Tanaka Sake Brewery works) |
| Public Access | Exterior partly visible from behind the property (not visible from the old road); interior not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tanaka Sake Brewery Storage Warehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012037
- Tanaka Sake Brewery: company profile, tours and access
- https://www.musashinosato.com/06_company.html
- Tanaka Sake Brewery: the sake-making process
- https://www.musashinosato.com/04_process.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
