The Long Storehouse on the Hachiya River
Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse (小川酒造旧仕込蔵, Ogawa Shuzō Kyū-Shikomigura) is a Taisho-era sake storehouse in Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 9, 1998. It stands at the very back of the Ogawa family's brewing estate, facing the Hachiya River, and continues straight into the neighbouring Pressing House.
A shikomigura is where steamed rice, koji and water are mixed into mash and left to ferment, so most of a brewing season's hours are spent inside it. The Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse is an earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri building of 2 storeys under a tiled roof, with a building area of 237 square meters, second only to the Main House on the site and the largest of the storehouses. By the time it was registered it had already stopped being used for brewing and served as a store, which is what the word "former" in its name records.
Why the Former Brewing Storehouse Was Registered
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs valued in the Ogawa Former Brewing Storehouse is its tie to the river. Its doorway opens not toward the street but toward the Hachiya River, and the Agency reads this as a record of how the brewery was linked by water transport. Rice coming in and sake going out would have passed straight between boat and door.
It was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency describes its long wall and red tiles as striking. Note that Kurayoshi City's published list of nationally registered properties (2021) does not include the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse, so the current status of the registration needs checking.
A Western Roof Truss in an Earthen Storehouse
Earthen walls outside, Western carpentry within. The roof of the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse rests not on a traditional Japanese Wagoya frame but on a Yōgoya, a Western-style frame built with a King post truss. A central post and angled struts form a triangle that spans a wide room with no posts in the middle, which mattered in a building meant to hold rows of large fermenting vats.
The Agency records the Bottling Plant and the Nikaigura as Japanese frames with doubled beams and the Pressing House as one with tripled beams; the Taisho-era Former Brewing Storehouse is the only building on the site it describes as having a Western truss. Since it adjoins the Meiji-era Pressing House, the roof construction switches exactly where the two meet.
The Agency's notes describe the roof as red tile, and the hotel that now occupies the estate presents the Ogawa buildings through the contrast of red Sekishū-gawara tiles and white Shikkui plaster, the colours that define Kawaramachi.
Seeing the Ogawa Former Brewing Storehouse
The interior of the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse is not open. Because it sits at the back of the plot, it is largely hidden from Kawaramachi Street by the Main House and the other storehouses. Its long wall and river doorway face the Hachiya River, but the published sources do not mention any public spot on the riverside to view them, so check on site.
The grounds are managed by the Kazeno Kurayoshi hotel, whose information says nothing about access to this storehouse. Ask at the front desk before entering.
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Q&A
- What is the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse?
- A Taisho-era storehouse in Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi, where the Ogawa family once fermented sake mash. It is earthen-walled, 2 storeys, with a building area of 237 square meters, and was registered on October 9, 1998.
- Why is the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse registered?
- Its doorway opens onto the Hachiya River, recording how the brewery relied on river transport, and its long wall and red roof shape the local scene. It was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape.
- How is the roof of the Ogawa Former Brewing Storehouse built?
- With a Western-style king post truss, which spans the room without interior posts. The Bottling Plant, Nikaigura and Pressing House on the Ogawa estate are recorded with Japanese roof frames.
- Can visitors enter the Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse?
- No. It is not open, and it stands at the back of the plot beside the Hachiya River, so it is hard to see from Kawaramachi Street. The grounds are managed by the Kazeno Kurayoshi hotel.
- Is sake still made in the Ogawa Former Brewing Storehouse?
- No. It was already used as a store when it was registered in 1998, and no sake is brewed on the estate today.
Basic Information
| Name | Ogawa Sake Brewery Former Brewing Storehouse (小川酒造旧仕込蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1969 Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 31-0031 |
| Year Designated | Registered October 9, 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 237 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Shuzo Kyu-Shikomigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000891
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Shuzo Funaba
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000892
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Shuzo Nikaigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000893
- Tottori Prefecture, Tottori Cultural Properties Navi: Ogawa Family Residence
- https://db.pref.tottori.jp/bunkazainavi.nsf/bunkazai_web_view/81801E062D55083349257E200010AB92
- Kurayoshi City: Nationally Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.kurayoshi.lg.jp/4237.htm
- Kazeno Kurayoshi official website
- https://www.kazenoheritage.jp/hotels/kurayoshi/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
