What the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities Are
The Tsukayama Brewery Facilities (津嘉山酒造所施設) are the main house and kōji house of an awamori distillery in Onaka, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on 30 June 2009 together with their residential land. The two buildings went up around 1928 and are still in daily use, producing the Kokka brand of awamori.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the main house as a timber building with a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) in Hongawarabuki tile, covering 330.49 square metres, and the kōji house as a smaller building of the same construction covering 95.51 square metres. The main house stands toward the street on the south side, the kōji house behind it to the north. The designation extends to the land as well, so the whole compound, including its gates, walls and south well, is protected.
Why the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities Were Designated
The Tsukayama Brewery Facilities were designated an Important Cultural Property in 2009 under two of the Agency's criteria: high historical value, and outstanding regional character. The Agency singles out the main house, which combines the distilling works and the family's living quarters under one roof, and notes that with the kōji house it preserves the form of an awamori distillery as laid out in the early Showa era. The buildings also make the traditional sequence of awamori production legible.
The second strand of the case concerns the main house as a dwelling. Its living quarters keep the traditional Okinawan room plan but add a formal entrance, a detached guest room and fine alcove fittings, and the Agency calls this modern development important for understanding the history of Okinawan housing. The rooms have board-and-batten ceilings and continuous lintel rails, and the upper walls of the front rooms and the detached room are finished in lime plaster.
What to Look for at the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities
The Main House: Home and Distillery in an L
Seen from above, the main house of the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities forms an L: a long east-west block with a north-south wing projecting from the west end of its north side. Overall it measures 15.9 metres east to west and 18.7 metres north to south; the main block spans 11.2 metres front to back and the wing 7.5 metres. An entrance hall sits at the southeast corner and a detached room with toilets at the northeast. The roof is basically hipped and tiled, but the wing is stepped down and topped with a raised ventilating ridge, the entrance and detached room have hip-and-gable roofs, and the toilet block a simple gable. Counting the roof shapes from outside is a quick way to read how each part was used.
The family lived in the eastern half of the main block. Four rooms are arranged in a grid: the ichibanza and nibanza at the front, the ichiban-uraza and niban-uraza behind, with verandas on the south, east and north. Along the south and east runs the amahaji, the deep sheltered eave space typical of Okinawan houses. The ichibanza has a tokonoma alcove with a cupboard beside it, and the nibanza holds the household altar. The detached room is a single six-mat space with its own alcove and verandas on three sides. The western half held the kitchen and office, with a cooking hearth on the earth floor at the far west.
The north wing is one large distilling hall with an earth floor and no ceiling, so the roof framing is exposed. A brick chimney, a cooling tank and washing areas survive. Stepping from the ceiled, rail-lined living rooms into this open-roofed workspace shows how sharply the level of finish changes within a single building.
The Kōji House
The kōji house, where the mould-inoculated rice for awamori is prepared, measures 12.1 by 7.9 metres under a hipped tiled roof. Inside is a single earth-floored room with posts at every bay. Around the edge, boards are fixed to the underside of the rafters; across the central two bays they are fixed to the underside of the beams, so the ceiling steps between the perimeter and the middle.
Visiting the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities
The Tsukayama Brewery Facilities are open through free brewery tours led by the brewer, and individual visitors do not need to book. Because this is a working distillery, what you can see depends on the day's work. The official website says nothing about photography, so ask your guide. Opening times and directions are on the Tsukayama Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okinawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tsukayama Brewery Facilities
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Q&A
- When were the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On 30 June 2009, covering the main house, the kōji house and the residential land.
- When were the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities built, and by whom?
- Both buildings date from around 1928. A plaque in the main house names Shimabukuro Jun'ichi as designer and Kinjō Tokusaburō as builder.
- What is special about the main house of the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities?
- It joins an awamori distilling hall and a family home in one L-shaped timber building of 330.49 square metres. The living quarters follow the traditional Okinawan four-room plan, with an added entrance hall and detached room.
- Can visitors go inside the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities?
- Yes, on free tours led by the brewer, with no booking needed for individuals. As the distillery is working, the areas shown vary with the day's production.
- What is the kōji house at the Tsukayama Brewery Facilities used for?
- It is where the kōji (mould-inoculated rice) for awamori is made: a single earth-floored room of 12.1 by 7.9 metres with a stepped board ceiling.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsukayama Brewery Facilities (津嘉山酒造所施設) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-14-6 Onaka, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 2009 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 2 buildings (main house, kōji house), with land |
| Dimensions | Main house 330.49 m² building area, kōji house 95.51 m² building area |
| Owner | Tsukayama Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open on brewery tours (free, no booking for individuals) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tsukayama Brewery Facilities, Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/00004359
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tsukayama Brewery Facilities, Koji House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/00004360
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tsukayama Brewery Facilities, Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/158845
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tsukayama Brewery Facilities, Koji House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/188456
- Tsukayama Brewery (official): Brewery Tours (Japanese and English)
- https://www.awamori-kokka.co.jp/hpgen/HPB/entries/5.html
Last verified: 2026.10.03
Cultural Treasures in the Same Area
All are within walking distance in the same area, so we recommend visiting them together.
- Tsukayama Brewery Facilities Main house 0.00 km
- Tsukayama Brewery Facilities Kojiya 0.01 km
