The Only Brick Building of the Seven
The Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room (矢野酒造麹室, Yano Shuzō Kōjishitsu) is a single-storey brick and timber room for making koji, built in the early Showa period at Yano Sake Brewery in Takatsuhara, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006.
It adjoins the south end of the west storehouse at the far western edge of the plot, ridge running north to south, with a building area of 81 square meters. The Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room is the newest of the brewery's seven listed buildings and the only one built with brick.
Brick Below, Boards Above
The Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room measures 6 Ken by 3 ken, about 10.9 by 5.5 meters if one ken is 1.82 meters.
The walls change material halfway up. Brick forms the lower part; above it rises a wall of vertical boards, and a gabled pantiled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri, Sangawara-buki) caps the whole. Among storehouses finished in white plaster or iron sheet, the red brick stands out.
How a Koji Room Works
A Kojimuro is where koji mold is grown on steamed rice, the step that turns rice starch into sugars the yeast can ferment. The mold needs steady warmth and humidity, so koji rooms are usually built with thick or insulated walls. The brick lower walls of the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room most likely served to hold in heat.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the interior is divided 2 ken from the north end to form an anteroom, which would have kept outside air from reaching the koji directly. The inner faces of the brick walls are finished in mortar.
Registration and the Early Showa Period
The Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room is registration number 41-0059, listed for contributing to the historic landscape of the nation.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it only to the early Showa period, which makes it the last addition to a group that began with the main house in 1904. The Saga Prefectural Heritage Database names the row of storehouses seen from the west, including this koji room, as the view that best conveys the brewery's age.
Seeing the Koji Room
The Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room lies at the western edge of the plot and cannot be seen from the old road. It may be visible from the west, but no route there is published, so look only from public roads and do not enter private land.
Koji rooms are among the most hygiene-sensitive spaces in a brewery, and no public access to this one is announced. The building the brewery offers to visitors is Tatsumi no Kura, the former rice mill.
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Q&A
- What is the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room for?
- It is where koji mold is grown on steamed rice to make rice koji, a process that needs steady warmth and humidity.
- When was the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa period, making it the newest of the brewery's seven listed buildings.
- How is the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room built?
- It is a single-storey brick and timber building: brick lower walls, vertical boards above and a gabled pantiled roof. Inside, a partition 2 ken from the north end forms an anteroom, and the brick walls are finished in mortar.
- Can I visit the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room?
- No public access to the interior is announced, and it cannot be seen from the street. The brewery directs visitors to the former rice mill, Tatsumi no Kura.
- Why is the Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on August 3, 2006 for contributing to the historic landscape of the nation, under registration number 41-0059.
Basic Information
| Name | Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room (矢野酒造麹室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3903-1 Ipponsugi, Takatsuhara, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, and adjoining lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 41-0059 |
| Year Designated | Registered August 3, 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick and timber, 1 storey, gabled pantiled roof, 6 ken by 3 ken, building area 81 square meters |
| Owner | Yano Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; not visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yano Sake Brewery Koji Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005675
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yano Sake Brewery West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005674
- Saga Prefecture, Saga Prefectural Heritage Database: No. 2012-1 Yano Sake Brewery (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/dynamic/isan/info/pub/Detail.aspx?c_id=90&id=131&wd=%E7%9F%A2%E9%87%8E
- Yano Shuzo official website: Company profile (Japanese)
- https://yanoshuzou.jp/?page_id=180
Last verified: 2026.09.28
