Between the Front Storehouse and the Large Storehouse
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油奥醸造蔵) is a soy sauce brewing storehouse said to have begun as a koji store of the mid-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 47 square metres; registration number 25-0274.
Between Two Storehouses
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse stands in the middle of the west side of the site, between the front brewing storehouse and the large storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its plan is almost square, 6.9 by 6.8 metres (Ketayuki by Harima), under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile roof whose ridge runs north to south.
The earthen walls are sheathed in sheet iron (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Inside, short posts set on the beams carry the purlins in a Wagoya roof frame, leaving a wide open room.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse as a property that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. It has stayed in use since the mid-Meiji era, moving from koji making to the brewing of soy sauce itself (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
From Koji Store to Brewing Room
It is said to have begun as a koji store, where the mould-covered grain that starts fermentation was kept, and it now holds square kakuoke vats for brewing (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The 2009 Echigawa Tourism Association guide records the same tradition.
What to Look For
The sheet-iron cladding over earthen walls gives it a different look from the plaster and boarding of the front brewing storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its place between the front storehouse and the large storehouse can be read in the line of roofs along the west side of the site.
Visiting
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse is a working brewery building at the back of the site, and no official information on interior visits or 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 Rear Brewing Storehouse built?
- In the mid-Meiji era, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What was the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse originally used for?
- It is said to have been a koji store; today it holds kakuoke vats for brewing (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Echigawa Tourism Association).
- How big is the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse?
- A 2-storey timber building of 6.9 by 6.8 metres with a building area of 47 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse?
- In the middle of the west side of the site, between the front brewing storehouse and the large storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse registered?
- On October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油奥醸造蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 47 m², 6.9 m by 6.8 m |
| Owner | Marunaka Shoyu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007375
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Rear Brewing Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/120447
- 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
