What Is the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House?
The Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House (古橋酒造場店舗兼主屋, Furuhashi Shuzōjō Tenpo-ken-shuoku) is a two-story timber townhouse of around 1921 on Honmachi-dori in Ushiroda, Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2010, under number 32-0132.
It is both the shop and the family home of the brewery that makes Uijin sake. The building faces west onto the street with a 13-meter frontage and covers 310 square meters. Behind the traditional Machiya front sit a small Western-style wing finished in sprayed mortar and a tatami reception wing (zashiki) added in 1955.
Why the Store and Main House Was Registered
The Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out three features that together give the front its imposing presence: an unusually tall second floor, a double-grade lattice across the facade, and a projecting fire wall at each end.
Tsuwano's board of education notes that most townhouses on Honmachi-dori were built between the late Edo period and the Taisho era. This one belongs to the very end of that run. It keeps the familiar townhouse form but pushes the upper floor up to give the shop a bigger voice on the street.
Reading the Street Front
The roof is lopsided on purpose: hipped-and-gabled (Irimoya-zukuri) at the north end and plain gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) at the south, all in interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki). Look up from the street and you can see the roof wrap around the north end only. That end faces the crossroads, so the shape may be meant to be seen from the corner, although the Agency's description does not say so.
The walls change character with the direction you look from. The street face is Shinkabe, with posts and beams left visible, while the sides are Ōkabe, plastered over the frame into plain white planes.
The upper floor is the thing to notice. The Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House raises the height to the head of its upstairs openings well above the usual, so the second story stands tall. Across it runs a komochi-gōshi lattice, thin bars set between thicker ones.
At each end of the front a sode-Udatsu juts out, a short fire wall raised against the neighbors that also frames the shop from either side.
The Western-Style Wing and the Zashiki
Besides the Japanese-style townhouse, the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House has a Western-style wing finished in sprayed mortar. The national database folds it into the main date of around 1921, which would make it an example of a Taisho-era merchant adding a Western room, but no public source gives its position or use.
The zashiki is the 1955 addition, which the Agency simply calls the Showa-period reception wing. Its position and layout are not described in public records, and it is not open to visitors.
Visiting the Store and Main House
The ground floor of the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House still works as the brewery's shop, and you can walk in during business hours. The brewery offers tastings inside. The living quarters, the Western-style wing and the zashiki are private.
For the whole facade, stand on the far side of Honmachi-dori, where the upstairs lattice and both fire walls fit in one view. Walk up to the crossroads at the north end and you see the hipped end of the roof and, beyond it, the earthen wall of the workshop running back along the side street. Ask the staff before taking photographs inside. Opening hours and how to book a brewery tour are covered on the Furuhashi Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- When was the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House built?
- Around 1921. The zashiki reception wing was added in 1955.
- When did the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On September 10, 2010, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Its registration number is 32-0132.
- What should I look for on the front of the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House?
- The tall second floor, the komochi-goshi lattice across it and the sode-udatsu fire walls at both ends. The roof is hipped-and-gabled at the north end and gabled at the south.
- Can I go inside the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House?
- Yes, the ground-floor shop is open during business hours and offers tastings. The living quarters, Western-style wing and zashiki are private.
- How big is the Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House?
- It has a 13-meter street frontage and a building area of 310 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | Ushiroda Honmachi Ro 196 and others, Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2010 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 13 m; building area 310 m² |
| Owner | Furuhashi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (listed as 古橋酒蔵株式会社 in the national database; trading name 古橋酒造株式会社) |
| Public Access | Ground-floor shop open during business hours (living quarters, Western-style wing and zashiki private) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Furuhashi Sake Brewery Store and Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008340
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
- Tsuwano Culture Portal (Tsuwano Board of Education): Tsuwano Preservation District
- https://tsuwano-bunka.net/cultural-property/detail_hozon-area/
- Furuhashi Sake Brewery (official): About the Company
- https://uijin.net/?mode=f4
Last verified: 2026.10.04
