The Oldest and Smallest of the Six
Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura (石川酒造文庫蔵, Ishikawa Shuzō Bunkogura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled storehouse built in 1863 at the Ishikawa brewery in Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 17, 2004. Bunkogura means "archive storehouse".
The Bunkogura stands just east of the Nagayamon Gate. With 58 square meters of building area it is both the smallest and the oldest of the six registered buildings. The year 1863 is also when the Ishikawa family started making sake, but that brewing took place in a rented storehouse across the Tama River; the family did not build a brewery in Kumagawa until 1880. The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura was built as a household storehouse, not for sake.
An Inscription on the Stairs
The building is dated by ink writing on its internal staircase. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the inscription gives both the year of construction and the building's first purpose as a treasure store. The Hongura, Shingura and Mukaigura are dated by Munafuda ridge tablets up in the roof; here the evidence was written on a stair that people climbed every day.
The name says archive, and the brewery describes it as a storehouse for books and papers. The agency's entry, though, records its original use as a treasure store, which suggests it first held the household's valuables and later came to hold documents. No source was found that traces the change.
Registered for the Quality of Its Craft
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura is a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri storehouse with a Sangawara-buki tiled roof running east to west, and a Hisashi canopy over the doorway on the west face. Its Ketayuki length is only 6.3 meters.
What the agency praised was workmanship rather than size. The posts are set close together to stiffen the frame, and the walls are carefully finished in Shikkui plaster. For that quality it is the only one of the six registered as a model of form and design; the other five were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape. Its registration number is 13-0170.
Seeing the Bunkogura
The brewery's tour page states plainly that the front of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura is not open to the public, and the interior is closed as well. On the free walk around the grounds, look for the small storehouse beside the Nagayamon Gate from the areas that are open.
The doorway and its canopy are on the west face, toward the gate, and because that front falls within the closed area you may not be able to get close to it. Follow the signs on site for where to stand.
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Q&A
- When was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura built?
- In 1863, according to ink writing on its internal staircase. It is the oldest of the brewery's six registered buildings.
- What was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura originally used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the inscription shows it was a treasure store. The brewery describes it as a storehouse for books and papers.
- Why was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura registered as a cultural property?
- Although only 6.3 meters long, it is closely framed and carefully plastered, and it was registered as a model of form and design.
- Was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura used for brewing sake?
- No. In 1863 the family brewed in a rented storehouse across the Tama River; the Bunkogura was built as a household storehouse.
- Can visitors see the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura?
- Its front and interior are not open to the public. You can see the exterior from the open parts of the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikawa Sake Brewery Bunkogura (石川酒造文庫蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aza-Minami, Oaza Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 13-0170 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 17, 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 6.3 meters long, building area 58 square meters |
| Owner | Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd. (石川酒造株式会社) |
| Public Access | Front and interior closed; exterior visible from the open areas |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ishikawa Shuzo Bunkogura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003851
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ishikawa Shuzo Bunkogura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/141121
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Ishikawa Shuzo Bunkogura (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/534
- Ishikawa Brewery: Brewery Walk and Tours (Japanese)
- https://www.tamajiman.co.jp/tour/
- Ishikawa Brewery: About Ishikawa Brewery (Japanese)
- https://www.tamajiman.co.jp/about/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
