What Is the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse?
The Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse (華泉酒造場中の蔵, Kasen Shuzōjō Naka-no-kura) is a late-Edo single-storey Dozo-zukuri brewing storehouse, built between about 1830 and 1867, that extends east from the shop-house by way of a work yard at Kasen Brewery in Ushiroda, Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2010. Its building area is 191 square meters.
The gabled Sangawara-buki roof runs east to west over a plan 6.5 meters wide and 30 meters long. It is the only single-storey building of the five, and by far the longest.
Naka-no-kura means "the middle storehouse," and the name fits its place halfway down the lot, between the shop-house on the street and the East Storehouse at the far end.
The Working Heart of the Brewery
The Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse was registered, as No. 32-0143, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a large brewing storehouse that conveys the character of a long-established sake maker. At a brewery founded in 1730, the building where the brewing itself is done survives at this scale from the late Edo period. Of the four storehouses, this is the only one whose interior use the national description records.
A Thirty-Meter Earthen Floor
Inside, the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse has a beaten-earth floor divided into east and west rooms, where sake barrels are kept. An earth floor suits heavy barrels and the wet work of brewing better than boards would, and the 30-meter plan is used as two rooms rather than one.
Outside, the building stands on a built-up stone base, with walls finished in Shikkui lime plaster and a lower band of vertical boards. That board wainscot differs from the Namako-kabe tile bases on the street faces of the Tool and Former Clothing Storehouses: a plainer, practical finish for a building working at the back of the lot.
Low and long, it stands apart from the 2-storey storehouses around it. Its 6.5-meter span is much wider than the 3.9 meters of the two street-side storehouses, giving it a large open volume under a single roof.
Visiting the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse
The Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse, recorded by the national database as holding sake barrels, is not open to visitors. We found no regular brewery tours offered.
It lies behind the shop-house, east of the work yard, and the house blocks most of it from view on Honmachi-dōri. Photograph from the public road and do not enter the lot. Directions are on the Kasen Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- When was the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse built?
- In the late Edo period, which the national database gives as about 1830 to 1867.
- What kind of building is the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse?
- A single-storey earthen brewing storehouse reached through a work yard east of the shop-house. It is 6.5 meters wide and 30 meters long, with a building area of 191 square meters and a gabled pantile roof.
- What is inside the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse?
- A beaten-earth floor divided into east and west rooms, used to keep sake barrels. Outside, it has a stone base, plastered walls and a vertical-board wainscot.
- When was the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse registered?
- On 10 September 2010, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 32-0143, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse?
- No. It is a working part of the brewery and is not open. It sits deep in the lot, so little of it can be seen from Honmachi-dōri.
Basic Information
| Name | Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse (華泉酒造場中の蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ro 221 Honmachi, Ushiroda, Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 32-0143 |
| Year Designated | Registered 10 September 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 191 square meters, 30 meters by 6.5 meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (used by Kasen Shuzo) |
| Public Access | Not open; set deep in the lot and hard to see from the street |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kasen Brewery Middle Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008351
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in Shimane (Shimane Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
