Saito Shoten Store and Main House

A Sugar Merchant's Townhouse in Ogi

The Saito Shoten Store and Main House (齊藤商店店舗兼主屋, Saitō Shōten tenpo-ken-shuoku) is a two-storey wooden townhouse of about 1927 in the old castle town at Ebisumachi, Ogi-machi, Ogi City, Saga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 27, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey wooden building with a tiled roof and a building area of 157 square metres, altered at some point between 1965 and 1974 (Showa 40s), registration number 41-109.

Sugar for the Yokan Makers

Ogi City explains that yokan, the firm sweet bean jelly, has been made in Ogi since the early Meiji era, and that some 20 yokan shops still trade in the town; Ogi yokan is known across Japan.

Saito Shoten supplied those confectioners with sugar, one of their main ingredients, and the business is said to have prospered. Ogi City regards the building as historically important evidence of how the yokan trade, the city's signature local industry, once flourished.

Why It Was Registered

The Saito Shoten Store and Main House was registered as a structure that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its open, generously glazed construction and its skilful Western touches, such as the double-height shop space and the show window.

Ogi City adds that despite later alterations the building is well preserved, built of good timber and carefully designed throughout.

What to Look For

The house has a gabled roof with its eaves facing the street and projecting beams carrying the upper eaves. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it is unusually tall, with a large roof framed on trusses; from the street the eaves sit noticeably higher than on a typical townhouse.

The front makes heavy use of patterned glass and includes a show window, which Ogi City describes as a bold idea for its time.

Inside, both floors have 4 rooms, and the transoms are carved with pine, bamboo and plum (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

No information on public opening of the Saito Shoten Store and Main House has been found. The exterior can be seen from the street; please do not enter the property and respect the residents' privacy.

The address is 427 Ebisumachi, Ogi-machi, Ogi City. Enquiries about Ogi's registered cultural properties go to the Ogi City Board of Education, Culture Division (0952-73-8809).