The Oldest Walls in the Compound
Of the seven registered buildings at Shimomori Brewery, the small storehouse (土蔵, dozo) to the northeast of the main house is the oldest. Its construction is placed in the late Edo period, between roughly 1830 and 1867, which sets it a generation or more before the Meiji buildings that make up most of the group. At just 6.1 by 4.4 metres, about 27 square metres, it is also the most compact, a single-storey earthen-walled store built to keep valuables safe from fire.
The building runs on an east-west ridge under a gabled pantile roof, with a pantiled skirt roof on the west sheltering a doorway. It rests on a stone base, and its walls are finished in white lime plaster carried by a single raised band, a hachimaki (鉢巻), that runs like a belt near the top. Everything about it is deliberate and plain, the vocabulary of a well-made storehouse rather than a showpiece.
Red Tile Against White Wall
What lifts this modest store above the ordinary is colour. The roof carries Sekishu red pantiles (石州赤瓦), the iron-glazed tiles of the Iwami region whose deep russet comes from firing at high temperature with a local glaze. Against the white plaster of the walls, that red reads with unusual strength. The contrast is the same one that runs through the whole brewery, but on so small and clean a volume it shows at its sharpest.
Sekishu tile is one of the defining materials of western Shimane, prized for standing up to hard winters and driving rain. Its presence here, on a store from the closing years of the Edo period, marks the building as thoroughly of its region. Registration in 2008 recognised the storehouse for exactly this contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Notice on a Visit
Give the storehouse a moment on a bright day, when the red tile and white wall separate most cleanly. Note the single raised band near the top of the wall and the stone footing at its base, both signs of careful storehouse building. Its position northeast of the main house also tells you something: valuables were kept close to the family quarters, not out among the working sheds.
The brewery is a private, operating business, so view the store from the public road. Small and self-contained, this Edo-period dozo is the quiet senior of the group, the building against which the ages of all the others can be measured.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shimomori Brewery Storehouse
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- Is this really the oldest building here?
- Yes. Its construction is placed in the late Edo period, roughly 1830 to 1867, earlier than the Meiji and Showa buildings that form the rest of the group.
- What are Sekishu tiles?
- They are the red, iron-glazed pantiles of the Iwami region of western Shimane, valued for durability in a harsh climate. Their russet colour is a hallmark of the area.
- What was kept in the storehouse?
- Valuables and goods needing protection from fire and damp. Its thick earthen walls and stone base served that purpose, and its position near the family quarters suited it to safekeeping.
- How large is it?
- About 27 square metres, 6.1 by 4.4 metres, the most compact of the seven registered buildings.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimomori Brewery Storehouse (下森酒造場土蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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. | 32-0076 |
| Period | Late Edo (approx. 1830-1867) |
| Structure | Mud-walled dozo, single storey, tiled roof; floor area 27 m²; 6.1 by 4.4 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 Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007311
- 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