The Oldest Building on the Site
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油大蔵) is a large earthen-walled storehouse of a soy sauce brewery of the late Edo period 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 single-storey earthen-walled building (Dozo-zukuri) with a tiled roof and a building area of 220 square metres; registration number 25-0272.
An L-Shaped Earthen Storehouse
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse (Ōgura) is a big L-shaped earthen-walled storehouse attached to the rear of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile roof, and its earthen walls are faced with vertical boards (Tateita-bari) up to lintel height. The 2009 guide by the Echigawa Tourism Association describes it as joined to the back of the shop.
Inside, the end nearer the shop is a workspace and the rear part is used for brewing (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A Wagoya roof frame built with sloping beams (Nobori-bari) opens up a wide working space. The guide notes that many cedar barrels stand inside.
The guide lists the structure as timber, but this article follows the Agency, which records it as an earthen-walled storehouse.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse as a property that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. It is the only one of the four registered buildings that dates from the late Edo period; the other three are Meiji (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Marunaka Shoyu says its brewing storehouses have survived from its founding in the Kansei era (1789 to 1801) and are still used to make soy sauce. With both a workspace and a brewing room under one roof, the large storehouse sits at the centre of that operation.
What to Look For
From outside you see the vertical boards that clad the earthen walls up to lintel height (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The L-shaped plan wraps behind the shop, and the turn of the ridge traces its shape.
Inside, the sloping beams of the roof frame are the highlight, but this is a working storehouse and no official information on viewing it was found.
Visiting
The Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse is in daily use as a workspace and brewing storehouse, 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
- How old is the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse?
- It dates from the late Edo period and is the oldest of the four registered Marunaka buildings (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How big is the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse with an L-shaped plan and a building area of 220 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse used for?
- The end nearer the shop is a workspace and the rear part is a brewing room (Agency for Cultural Affairs); many cedar barrels stand inside (Echigawa Tourism Association).
- Can visitors go inside the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse?
- It is a working storehouse, and no official information on interior visits was found.
- When was the Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse registered?
- On October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse (蔵元丸中醤油大蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Single-storey earthen-walled building, tiled roof, building area 220 m², L-shaped plan |
| Owner | Marunaka Shoyu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007373
- Marunaka Soy Sauce Brewery Large Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/153975
- 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/
- Materials and method (Marunaka Shoyu official website, Japanese)
- https://www.marunaka-shouyu.com/user_data/kodawari/
Last verified: 2026.11.09
