The Chimney That Marks the Brewery
Most of Shimomori Brewery keeps low to the ground, a run of tiled roofs beside the Yokomichi River. One element breaks that horizontal line. West of the main house and south of the sake storehouse's work yard, a reinforced concrete chimney (煙突, entotsu) rises 19 metres into the air. Built in 1957, in the middle of the Showa era, it is the tallest thing in the compound and the one you see first from a distance.
The chimney is a plain concrete shaft, 1.2 metres across at its base and tapering as it climbs. It is far younger than the Meiji and Edo buildings around it, and its material marks the difference: where the storehouses are earth and timber, this is a modern industrial structure, put up when the brewery modernised its equipment. Function came first, but the result reads as a clean vertical stroke against the sky.
Why a Brewery Needs a Chimney
The reason for its height lies inside the work yard it serves. There, a brick-built kiln (煉瓦造の竈) once steamed the sake rice, a step that softens the grain and prepares it for fermentation. Steaming on that scale produces a great deal of smoke and heat, and the tall chimney drew it up and away from the working floor. The concrete shaft is, in effect, the visible end of the rice-steaming process, the part of the brewery that had to reach above the roofs.
When the seven Shimomori buildings were registered in 2008, the chimney was included under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. Rising above the reddish Sekishu pantiles (石州赤瓦) of the surrounding roofs, it has become the landmark by which the brewery is recognised across the district.
What to Notice on a Visit
The chimney is best appreciated from a little way off, where its full height stands clear of the roofs. Seen that way, it acts as a signpost: find the tall concrete shaft and you have found the brewery. Up close, note how sparely it is made, a functional tube with none of the ornament of the older buildings, and how that plainness sets off the tiled roofs and plastered walls at its foot.
The brewery remains in operation, so view the chimney from the public road along with the rest of the group. It is the one part of the compound built for the twentieth century, and the contrast it strikes with the Edo storehouse and Meiji main house is much of what makes the ensemble worth reading as a whole.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shimomori Brewery Chimney
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Q&A
- How tall is the chimney?
- It stands 19 metres high, with a base 1.2 metres across, making it the tallest structure in the compound.
- What was it used for?
- It vented smoke and heat from a brick kiln in the work yard that steamed the sake rice, an essential step before fermentation.
- Why is it so much newer than the other buildings?
- It was built in 1957 in reinforced concrete, when the brewery updated its equipment, whereas the storehouses and main house date from the Edo and Meiji periods.
- Can I find the brewery by looking for it?
- Yes. Rising above the surrounding roofs, the chimney serves as the district landmark that locates the whole compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimomori Brewery Chimney (下森酒造場煙突) |
|---|---|
| Location | 992 Tateyama-no-Fumoto, Sabumi, Tsuwano, Kanoashi District, Shimane |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 8 July 2008 (gazette notice 23 July 2008) |
| Registration No. | 32-0078 |
| Period | Showa 32 (1957) |
| Structure | Reinforced concrete; height 19 m, base diameter 1.2 m |
| Criterion | Contributing to the historic landscape |
| Access | Working brewery; exterior viewing from the public road |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (ACA) — Shimomori Brewery Chimney
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007313
- Tsuwano Cultural Portal — Registered Cultural Properties
- https://tsuwano-bunka.net/cultural-property/
- Sakenomy — Shimomori Brewery (Gomei Kaisha Shimomori Shuzojo)
- https://www.sakenomy.jp/brewery/K01N032033/
Last verified: 2026.07.06