A 35-Meter Storehouse Along the Street
Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura (石川酒造新蔵, Ishikawa Shuzō Shingura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled storehouse built in 1898 at the Ishikawa brewery in Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 17, 2004. Shingura means "new storehouse".
The Shingura stands west of the Hongura and runs along the street. It is 35 meters long against a width of just 13.5 meters, so its long flank is what passers-by see from outside the grounds. The building area is 489 square meters, and the brewery says the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura is where its sake is left to mature.
A Floating Metal Roof and a Timber Skirt
One end of the roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable and the other an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable. The roof is an Okiyane, a separate roof frame set on top of the earthen walls with a gap between the two, and it is clad in metal sheet rather than tile; the database lists it as steel. The floating roof is usually explained as a fire precaution: the roof could burn and fall away while the thick walls, and what they held, survived.
The walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster, and the lower part is boarded over. Timber at the base takes the splashback and knocks, keeping the white plaster above in good condition for longer.
Changing the roof shape from one end to the other is something the Shingura shares with the Hongura next door. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says that together they give the site the appearance of a traditional sake house, and registered the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura for its contribution to the historic landscape, as number 13-0166.
Dating the Shingura
The agency dates the Shingura to 1898 from its Munafuda ridge tablet. The brewery's tour page gives 1897, a year earlier. This article follows the ridge-tablet date.
The record of a later extension does not agree with itself either. The era column of the national database reads "extended Meiji 33", which would be 1900, while the Western-calendar column reads "extended 1958", which is Showa 33. The Fussa City Local History Museum repeats the same pair of values. No source was found to settle which is right, so both are given here.
Seeing the Shingura
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura is used for maturing sake, and the brewery does not advertise any interior access. The exterior can be seen on the free walk around the grounds, and because it lines the street, its long side is also visible from outside.
Look for the contrast between the boarded base and the white plaster, and for the way the roof sits proud of the walls with a deep overhang. Compare its two differently shaped ends with those of the Hongura.
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Q&A
- When was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1898 from its ridge tablet. The brewery gives 1897.
- What is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura used for?
- According to the brewery, it is used for maturing sake.
- How big is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura?
- It is a long, narrow two-storey storehouse, 35 meters by 13.5 meters, with 489 square meters of building area.
- How is the roof of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura built?
- It is a floating okiyane roof clad in metal sheet, with a gable at one end and a hip-and-gable at the other.
- Can visitors go inside the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura?
- No interior access is advertised. Because it stands along the street, the exterior can be seen from inside and outside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikawa Sake Brewery Shingura (石川酒造新蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aza-Minami, Oaza Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 13-0166 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 17, 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, steel sheet roof, 35 meters by 13.5 meters, building area 489 square meters |
| Owner | Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd. (石川酒造株式会社) |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible from the grounds and the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ishikawa Shuzo Shingura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003847
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ishikawa Shuzo Shingura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/116927
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Ishikawa Shuzo Shingura (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/527
- Ishikawa Brewery: Brewery Walk and Tours (Japanese)
- https://www.tamajiman.co.jp/tour/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
