Onoguchi Family Residence Former Sake Brewery

What Is the Onoguchi Family Residence Former Sake Brewery?

The Onoguchi Family Residence Former Sake Brewery (小野口家住宅旧酒蔵, Onoguchi-ke Jūtaku Kyū-sakagura) is a single-story Dozo-zukuri storehouse built in 1872 in Tanomachi, Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 1999.

It stands behind the main house at the northern edge of the estate and was once used for sake. The date comes from an ink inscription. It covers 115 square meters, making it the largest of the Onoguchi family's listed buildings, and its roof is now galvanized steel sheet.

Setting a large storehouse at the far end of the plot gives the compound a firm northern edge, closing the ring of outbuildings that surrounds the main house.

A Timber Frame Behind Ōya Stone

Like the gatehouse, the Onoguchi Family Residence Former Sake Brewery has a timber post-and-beam frame clad with thin slabs of Ōya stone. The Agency for Cultural Affairs classes it as a dozo-zukuri storehouse: stone on the outside, wood at the core.

Utsunomiya City's notes say the stone facing covers the lower walls on the front and sides. Armoring the base of the walls in stone would have helped against ground damp and splashing rain.

Among the three Onoguchi buildings dated by ink inscriptions, the 1872 brewery is second only to the rear storehouse of 1825, and four years older than the gatehouse.

Keeping a Long Wall Interesting

A single-story storehouse of 115 square meters has long, plain walls that can easily look monotonous. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the building with two devices that avoid this.

The first is a drip ledge that runs around the lower wall. It sheds rainwater away from the stone and draws a horizontal line along the facade. The second is a band of stones set vertically at the upper corners, which frames each corner with an upright line. Horizontal ledge and vertical corner stones together give the big storehouse a neat, composed exterior.

On that basis the Onoguchi brewery was registered as a model of architectural form. Its registration number, 09-0019, is the last of the six Onoguchi buildings listed in 1999.

A Piece of Utsunomiya's Stone Culture

In presenting the long history of Ōya stone as a building material, Utsunomiya City picks out the Onoguchi Family Residence Former Sake Brewery as one of its examples. It is a reminder that Ōya stone was used not only in the castle town but also on rural farmsteads like this one.

How to See It

The former sake brewery sits at the northern tip of the estate, behind the main house. Because the stone wall connects to it, parts of its side walls and roof can be seen over the wall from outside.

The drip ledge and the vertical corner stones are details best seen up close. Entering the grounds requires the owner's consent, and details on visiting and access are gathered on the Onoguchi Family Residence page.