What Is the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse?
The Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse (杉田酒造貯蔵蔵, Sugita Shuzō Chozōgura) is a two-story earthen storehouse of the late Edo period (1830 to 1868) at the Sugita Sake Brewery in Kamiizumi, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, and has been a Registered Tangible Cultural Property since 2013.
As its name says, a chozōgura is a storehouse for keeping sake. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places the Storage Storehouse north of the center of the property and calls it the oldest building on the site, and Tochigi Prefecture adds that it is the largest of the Sugita storehouses: 20.9 m long and 9.42 m deep, with a building area of 197 m².
The main roof is a gabled roof of pantiles, with a hipped, tiled lean-to along the south side. On the north, the postwar Oya Stone Storehouse butts against it.
Why the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse Was Registered
The Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse was not built for Sugita. Tochigi Prefecture records that it belonged to the Tanami brewery in Minamikobayashi, another part of Oyama, and was moved about 500 m to its present spot by Hikiya, hauled whole rather than taken apart. The national database dates the move to around 1873, the year the family gives for the founding of the brewery. Dragging a two-story earthen building more than 20 m long over that distance was no small undertaking.
When it was registered on March 29, 2013, the storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its standing as the oldest building on the site and treats it as a record of Sugita's history as a sake maker. The prefecture notes that the exterior, white lime plaster above a skirt of corrugated sheet metal laid to resemble clapboard, still looks much as it did when built.
Inside the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse
The interior is the reason to look closely at the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse. According to the prefecture, the depth of the building is split into three bands, and only the central band, 3 ken wide (a ken is about 1.8 m), has two levels. The upper floor covers that band alone; on either side the space rises unbroken to the roof as a double-height void.
The upper floor sits on free-standing posts that carry girders and joists beneath the boards. Posts stand on the upper level every 1.5 ken, a handrail about 70 cm high runs along the edge, and a box staircase about 1 ken wide links the two levels. From the upper floor you look down into the tall open bays on both sides.
At the far end of the upper floor is a partitioned work area about 2.5 ken square. Both the national and prefectural notes record the tradition that the toji, the head brewer, once lived here, so the brewing staff had a room of their own above the stored sake.
Visiting the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse
The Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse is part of a working brewery, and visitors cannot walk around it freely. Tochigi Prefecture lists it as viewable on request, and the brewery says tours are by reservation only. The open bays and the brewer's room can be seen only from inside, so say when booking that you would like to see the interior, and ask about photography at the same time.
Outside, look for the north side, where the Oya Stone Storehouse joins on. A single hinged wooden door leads from the stone building into the north face of the Storage Storehouse, so the Edo storehouse and its postwar neighbor connect through that one doorway.
Q&A
- When was the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse built, and when was it moved to its present site?
- It is thought to date from the late Edo period (1830 to 1868). Around 1873 it was hauled about 500 m by hikiya from the Tanami brewery in Minamikobayashi, Oyama.
- Is the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse the oldest building at the brewery?
- Yes. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the oldest building on the site. Tochigi Prefecture says it is also the largest of the brewery's storehouses, with a building area of 197 m².
- What is the upper floor of the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse like?
- Only the central band, 3 ken wide, has an upper floor; the sides are open to the roof. A handrail about 70 cm high lines the edge, a box staircase leads up, and at the far end is a work area where the head brewer is said to have lived.
- Can I see inside the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse, and is photography allowed?
- Brewery tours are by reservation only and free, according to the brewery. Whether the interior can be shown and whether photos are allowed should be confirmed when you book.
- When did the Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 29, 2013, together with the brewery's three other storehouses, under registration number 09-0203.
Basic Information
| Name | Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 237 Kamiizumi Honzawa, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2013 (registered March 29, 2013) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Length 20.9 m, depth 9.42 m; building area 197 m² |
| Owner | Sugita Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not regularly open (brewery tours by reservation only, arranged with the owner) |
References
- Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009432
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/239845
- Tochigi Prefecture, Tochigi Cultural Properties: Sugita Sake Brewery Storage Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/cultural/%E3%80%90%E6%9D%89%E7%94%B0%E9%85%92%E9%80%A0%E8%B2%AF%E8%94%B5%E8%94%B5%E3%80%91/
Last verified: 2026.10.09
