A Former Rice Store on the Street, Now the Brewery Museum
Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura (石川酒造雑蔵, Ishikawa Shuzō Zatsugura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled storehouse built around 1898 at the Ishikawa brewery in Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 17, 2004. The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads the name Zatsugura, "general storehouse"; the brewery has long called it Zougura.
The Zatsugura stands roughly midway along the southern edge of the property, right on the street. According to the agency it was originally a rice store. Its upper floor now holds the brewery's museum. The ground floor was the brewery's own Japanese restaurant, also called Zougura, until the end of 2017, and another restaurant on the brewery grounds has since moved into the space.
A Floating Roof and a Lean-To on the North Side
The Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof running east to west, covered in Sangawara-buki tile and built as an Okiyane, a separate roof frame lifted clear of the earthen walls. A Geya lean-to Hisashi projects from the north side. At 133 square meters of building area it is far smaller than the Hongura or Shingura.
Because the ridge runs parallel to the street, the long eaves and tiled roof stretch sideways along the road and set the character of the southern street front. The lean-to on the north faces into the grounds, toward the Nagayamon Gate.
Why the Zatsugura Was Registered
The Zatsugura was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, as number 13-0168. The agency makes two points: its first use as a rice store shows how a Meiji-period household compound was arranged, and its position on the street helps form a historic streetscape. The agency also notes that it has been adapted as a museum and for other uses.
The date is given as around 1898, and unlike the Hongura, Shingura and Mukaigura, the agency's entry does not mention a ridge tablet. It is the only one of the six buildings whose date carries "around".
Visiting the Museum in the Zatsugura
The museum on the upper floor of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura is free. According to the brewery it opens between 11:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and is closed on Wednesdays. Displays cover sake making from the Edo period to the Showa era, the seasonal workers who came to brew each winter, sake labels and drinking vessels from the Meiji period on, the villagers of Kumagawa and their ties to the Tama River, and the 1887 beer venture, with its recipes, bottles and labels.
Of the six registered buildings, the Zatsugura is the only one with an exhibition space you can enter without booking. The exterior can be seen from both the street and the grounds; the north lean-to is only visible once you are inside the property.
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Q&A
- How is the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura name pronounced?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads it Zatsugura. The brewery calls it Zougura.
- What was the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura originally used for?
- According to the agency, it was a rice store, built around 1898.
- Is the museum in the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura free, and when is it open?
- Entry is free. The brewery lists opening hours of 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays.
- What can I see in the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura museum?
- Material on sake making from the Edo to Showa periods, old sake labels and vessels, and records, bottles and labels from the brewery's 1887 beer venture.
- What are the architectural features of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura?
- It is a two-storey earthen storehouse with an east-west gabled tile roof set as a floating okiyane, and a lean-to on the north side. It stands on the street and shapes the southern street front.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishikawa Sake Brewery Zatsugura (石川酒造雑蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aza-Minami, Oaza Kumagawa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 13-0168 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 17, 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 133 square meters, with lean-to on the north side |
| Owner | Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd. (石川酒造株式会社) |
| Public Access | Upper-floor museum free (closed Wednesdays); exterior visible from the street and grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ishikawa Shuzo Zatsugura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003849
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ishikawa Shuzo Zatsugura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/194849
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Ishikawa Shuzo Zatsugura (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/531
- Ishikawa Brewery: About Ishikawa Brewery, Zougura Museum (Japanese)
- https://www.tamajiman.co.jp/about/
- Ishikawa Brewery: Zougura restaurant closure notice (Japanese)
- https://www.tamajiman.co.jp/kura/
- Nishitama Keizai Shimbun: New restaurant opens on the Ishikawa Brewery grounds (Japanese)
- https://nishitama.keizai.biz/headline/1246/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
