A Small Room for Growing Koji
Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) Koji Storehouse (まちや倶楽部（旧西勝酒造）麹蔵) is a mid Showa period (1946 to 1965) earthen storehouse for making koji in Suwaichō Naka, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 February 2022. It is single-storey, tiled, and at 41 square metres the smallest of the buildings whose size is recorded.
It stands immediately west of the yeast starter storehouse, its ridge running north to south. Koji is steamed rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae mold, which turns the starch in rice into sugar that yeast can ferment. It follows washing and steaming in the brewing sequence and feeds both the yeast starter and the main mash.
A Postwar Addition to the Line
Where the main house, the rice washing house and the yeast starter storehouse are early Meiji, the Machiya Club koji storehouse went up after the war. It was more than half a century old when registered, and like the other eight it was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Agency's report groups it with the yeast starter storehouse as the two storehouses with wooden floors. Most of the brewery's working rooms have earth floors; raising these two off the ground would have helped keep out cold where temperature and humidity had to be closely controlled.
A Sealed Room
The roof is a gable with its long side toward the entrance (Hirairi), covered in pantiles. The walls are plastered in Shikkui lime right up into the eaves, with vertical boarding along the base. There is one door on the east side and a single window on the west, and from outside the lack of openings is the first thing you notice.
Inside is one wooden-floored room with board-lined walls and ceiling, sealing the space. Koji mold needs steady warmth and moisture, and a room that keeps outside air at bay provides exactly that. The official description calls it a storehouse that shows the brewing process.
Visiting the Koji Storehouse
The exterior can be seen from the lane through the site. Compare it with the yeast starter storehouse next door: both have wooden floors, but they were built generations apart. 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) Koji 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 Koji Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid Showa period (1946 to 1965). It was registered on 17 February 2022.
- What happened in the Machiya Club Koji Storehouse?
- Koji mold was grown on steamed rice here. The resulting koji went into both the yeast starter and the main fermentation.
- What is inside the Machiya Club Koji Storehouse?
- A single wooden-floored room with board-lined walls and ceiling, sealed to hold warmth and moisture. It has one door on the east and one window on the west.
- Where is the Machiya Club Koji Storehouse on the brewery site?
- It stands just west of the yeast starter storehouse, with the south brewing storehouse and passage storehouse to the north.
Basic Information
| Name | Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) Koji 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 41 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) Koji Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014178
- Cultural Heritage Online: Machiya Club (Former Nishikatsu Sake Brewery) Koji Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/543588
- 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
