A Rice Store from the Brewery's First Decade
Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse (田村酒造前蔵, Tamura Shuzō Maegura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse at Tamura Sake Brewery in Fussa City, Tokyo, built in 1830 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013.
It stands in the southwest of the brewery grounds with its ridge running east to west. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that it began as a rice store. It went up eight years after the Tamura family started brewing in 1822, and among the five registered structures it is the oldest whose construction is pinned to a single year.
Small Footprint, Floating Roof, Notched Boarding
The Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse measures 6.3 meters along the ridge and 4.5 meters across (Ketayuki and Harima), for a building area of 34 square meters, which makes it the smallest building of the five. The gabled roof is covered in pantiles and built as an Okiyane, a separate timber roof set above the earthen body of the store.
The entrance is on the gable end (Tsumairi). On the east front, the upper floor has a window and a pair of heavy earthen doors. The walls are clad to a high skirt in sasarako shitamiita, overlapping boards held by notched vertical battens, so the lower walls read as a fine grid of steps and ribs.
Inside, the frame combines horizontal beams with Nobori-bari, sloping beams that follow the pitch of the roof.
Why the Front Storehouse Was Registered
The Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country, under registration number 13-0309. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as an earthen store that keeps the look of the brewery in its founding years. Where the brewing hall kept growing into the 1920s, this building has stayed at the size and form of the early business.
Directly to the south stands the Zogura of 1862. Because the Front Storehouse runs east to west and the Zogura north to south, the two ridges run at right angles to each other in this corner of the grounds.
Seeing the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse
The Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse is passed on the brewery's booked tour of the grounds. Look at the east front for the upper-floor window and double earthen doors, and at the high band of notched boarding along the base.
Being small, the whole building fits into view at once. Compare it with the Zogura next door: both are earthen stores with floating roofs, but they differ in size and in the direction of their ridges. The official pages do not say whether the interior is shown.
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Q&A
- When was the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse built?
- In 1830, eight years after the Tamura family began brewing sake.
- What was the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse originally used for?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was a rice store.
- How big is the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse?
- It is 6.3 by 4.5 meters, with a building area of 34 square meters, on two storeys. It is the smallest of the brewery's five registered structures.
- What should I look for on the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse?
- The window and double earthen doors on the east upper floor, the high skirt of notched weatherboarding, and the tiled floating roof.
- Can I visit the Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse?
- Its exterior is seen on the brewery's booked tour. Interior access is not stated officially.
Basic Information
| Name | Tamura Sake Brewery Front Storehouse (田村酒造前蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 626-1 and others, Aza-Naga, Oaza Fussa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 13-0309 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 6.3 meters by 4.5 meters, building area 34 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: Tamura Shuzo Maegura (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009724
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tamura Shuzo Maegura (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/274473
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Tamura Shuzo Maegura (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/538
- Tamura Shuzojo: Brewery Tour Reservations (Japanese)
- https://www.tamurashuzojo.com/page/tour
Last verified: 2026.09.30
