A Gable End on the Street
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油前醸造蔵) is a soy sauce brewing storehouse of the early Meiji era in Higashide, Aisho-cho, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 68 square metres; registration number 25-0273.
A Plastered Gable to the Street
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse stands on the street, lined up on the west side of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It measures 9.8 by 6.9 metres and has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile roof, with the gable end turned to the street (Tsumairi).
The gable wall on the front is finished in lime plaster (Shikkui), with tall vertical boarding (Tateita-bari) below it pierced by a door and windows (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On the east side the roof sweeps down low over an earth-floored strip used for handling goods.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse as a property that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Its white plastered gable sits beside the shop and shapes the street front of the brewery.
Square Vats Inside
Inside, square vats known as kakuoke are set up for brewing soy sauce (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The 2009 Echigawa Tourism Association guide also presents this and the rear brewing storehouse as storehouses still used for brewing.
What to Look For
From the street, look at where the white plaster of the gable meets the tall boarding below (Agency for Cultural Affairs). To the right as you face it, on the east side, the long low roof covers the earth-floored loading strip.
The gable-fronted Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse and the exposed-post front of the shop next door stand on the same street but present quite different faces.
Visiting
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse is a working brewery building, and no official information on interior visits was found. Its gable front can be seen from the street; no guidance on photography was found.
Opening hours and directions are covered on the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery page.
Q&A
- When was the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse built?
- In the early Meiji era, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What does the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse look like?
- A gable-fronted building with a plastered gable above tall vertical boarding, and a long low roof on the east side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Is soy sauce still brewed in the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse?
- Yes. The Agency notes that square kakuoke vats are set up inside for brewing.
- Can visitors go inside the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse?
- No official information on interior visits was found. The gable front is visible from the street.
- When was the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse registered?
- On October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油前醸造蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 229 Higashide, Aisho-cho, Echi-gun, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/10/23 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 68 m², 9.8 m by 6.9 m |
| Owner | Marunaka Shoyu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street; no official information on interior access |
References
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007374
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Front Brewing Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/183586
- Nationally registered cultural properties (Aisho Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.aisho.shiga.jp/kosodate/3/bunkazai/bunkazai/2555.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Aisho (exhibition guide, Echigawa Tourism Association of Aisho, Japanese)
- https://researchmap.jp/read-945021/misc/12560916/attachment_file.pdf
- About Marunaka Shoyu (official website, Japanese)
- https://www.marunaka-shouyu.com/user_data/about/
Last verified: 2026.11.09
