A Mill House and a Storehouse under One Roof
Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse (田村酒造旧水車小屋及び脇蔵, Tamura Shuzō Kyū Suishagoya oyobi Wakigura) is a single-storey timber and Dozo-zukuri building at Tamura Sake Brewery in Fussa City, Tokyo, dating from the early Showa period (1926 to 1945), and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013.
It stands in the middle of the east side of the grounds, right beside the channel that brings water in from the Tamagawa Aqueduct. The name sounds like two buildings, but the registration counts one: a timber water mill forms the northern half and an earthen side storehouse the southern half, both under a single roof. The building area is 104 square meters.
A 4-Ken-Square Mill and a King Post Truss
The water mill half is a timber structure 4 Ken square. The side storehouse to the south is built in earthen dozo-zukuri, and one gabled roof clad in sheet metal runs over both. The brewing hall, Front Storehouse and Zogura all have tiled roofs, so the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse is the only registered building on the grounds roofed in metal.
Both halves have boarded lower walls, and the roof is carried on a King post truss, the Western framing in which a central post and diagonal members form a triangle. Two quite different kinds of construction, a light timber shed and a heavy earthen store, are pulled into one building by the shared boarding and the shared truss.
Why the Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse Was Registered
The Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country, under registration number 13-0311. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a building that shows how the brewery once polished its rice using power from a water wheel.
Polishing away the outer layer of the grain is an essential step in sake making. Of the five registered structures, this is the only one that records the power used to process rice rather than the brewing or storing of sake, and its position on the channel from the aqueduct makes the link between the brewery's water supply and its work plain on the ground.
Seeing the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse
The building is seen when the brewery's booked tour reaches the east side of the grounds. Pay attention to the channel running alongside: standing there, it is easy to see why the mill was placed on the water.
Look up to confirm how one gabled roof spans both the timber northern half and the earthen southern half. The official pages say nothing about access to the interior or about how much of the milling equipment survives.
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Q&A
- When was the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse built?
- The national database dates it to the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945.
- What was the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse used for?
- Rice was polished there using water-wheel power. The northern half was the mill and the southern half an earthen storehouse.
- How is the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse built?
- It is a single-storey building of timber and earthen construction under one gabled sheet-metal roof, framed with a king post truss, with a building area of 104 square meters.
- Where is the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse on the grounds?
- In the middle of the east side, beside the channel drawn from the Tamagawa Aqueduct.
- Can I visit the Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse?
- Its exterior is seen on the brewery's booked tour. Interior access is not stated officially.
Basic Information
| Name | Tamura Sake Brewery Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse (田村酒造旧水車小屋及び脇蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 626-1 and others, Aza-Naga, Oaza Fussa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 13-0311 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber and dozo-zukuri, 1 storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 104 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database (the brewery is Tamura Shuzojo) |
| Public Access | Exterior seen on the booked brewery tour |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009726
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/241175
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Former Water Mill and Side Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/542
- Tamura Shuzojo: Brewery Tour Reservations (Japanese)
- https://www.tamurashuzojo.com/page/tour
Last verified: 2026.09.30
