A Brewing Storehouse and Its Passage Storehouse
Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) South Brewing Storehouse and Passage Storehouse (まちや倶楽部（旧西勝酒蔵）南仕込蔵及び通り蔵) is an early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) earthen storehouse in Suwaichō Naka, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 February 2022. It is single-storey and tiled, with a footprint of 100 square metres.
A brewing storehouse with a north to south ridge has a passage storehouse attached on its east side, ridge running east to west; the register counts the pair as one building. It stands north of the koji storehouse and south of the north brewing storehouse. This is where the main mash fermented, as koji, steamed rice and water were added to the yeast starter in stages.
The Traditional Half of a Pair
The Agency for Cultural Affairs treats this building and the north brewing storehouse together as the two brewing rooms, then draws a contrast: this one is a traditional earthen storehouse, the other a modern building. The Nishikatsu brewery ran the same step of the process in a Meiji kura and a postwar shed side by side.
The Agency reads that contrast as evidence of rising output. The Machiya Club south brewing storehouse is the baseline, the older room against which the later expansion is measured. It was registered, like the rest, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
One Post Holds the Roof
The brewing storehouse has its entrance on the gable end (Tsumairi), the passage storehouse on the long side (Hirairi), and both are tiled. The walls are plastered in Shikkui lime all the way up into the eaves. Because the two ridges meet at a right angle, the rooflines overlap in an interesting way.
Inside the brewing storehouse is a single earth-floored room with one freestanding post in the middle carrying the heavy beam beneath the ridge. A wide floor for fermentation vats and a broad roof over it, all resting on a single post. Compare the north brewing storehouse, which uses a roof truss to clear its interior of posts, and you see two eras answering the same need.
Neither official source explains the name passage storehouse. It may have doubled as a thoroughfare, but that is a guess.
Visiting the South Brewing Storehouse
The exterior can be seen from the lane through the site. Look at how the lime plaster wraps up into the eaves, then compare the mortar walls of the north brewing storehouse next door. Machiya Club has not announced any public access to the interior.
There is no published photography policy. Directions are on the Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) group page. Information checked on 25 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) South Brewing Storehouse and Passage Storehouse?
- You can see the exterior from the lane through the site. No public access to the interior has been announced.
- When was the Machiya Club South Brewing Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882). It was registered on 17 February 2022.
- Why does the Machiya Club South Brewing Storehouse have two names?
- It is a north to south brewing storehouse with an east to west passage storehouse attached, and the register counts the two together as one building.
- What is special about the interior of the Machiya Club South Brewing Storehouse?
- It is a single earth-floored room in which one freestanding central post supports the heavy beam under the ridge.
- How does the Machiya Club South Brewing Storehouse differ from the North Brewing Storehouse?
- The south storehouse is a traditional early Meiji earthen kura. The north storehouse, built in 1959, combines reinforced concrete and timber, with mortar walls and a trussed roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) South Brewing Storehouse and Passage Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 15-1 Suwaicho Naka, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2022/2/17 (Reiwa 4) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 100 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs records |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the lane through the site. No public interior access has been announced |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) South Brewing Storehouse and Passage Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014179
- Cultural Heritage Online: Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) South Brewing Storehouse and Passage Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/598819
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Council for Cultural Affairs report of 19 November 2021 on Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93601801_02.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
