A Two-Storey Storehouse Raised to Three
Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura (小川酒造三階蔵, Ogawa Shuzō Sankaigura, "three-storey storehouse") is an early Showa-era storehouse in Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 9, 1998. On the Ogawa family's brewing estate it stands north of the Nikaigura, parallel to it, in the gap between that storehouse and the Main House.
The Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura is an earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri building of 3 storeys under a tiled roof, with a building area of 62 square meters, and the only three-storey building among the seven. When it was registered, the ground floor was a pickle store and the upper two floors held bedding. It served the household more than the brewery, the kind of storehouse a large merchant family relied on for daily life.
Why the Sankaigura Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs explains the Ogawa Sankaigura as a two-storey storehouse whose floor was raised to make three storeys. It takes this as a precaution against flooding and values the building as evidence of construction adapted to the local climate and terrain.
The Hachiya River runs behind the estate, and the Ogamo River lies beyond it. For a brewing family that used the river for transport and waterwheel power, rising water must also have been a familiar worry, and the raised floor of the Sankaigura is read as a response built into the structure. It was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape.
Kurayoshi City's published list of nationally registered properties (2021) does not include the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura, so the current status of the registration needs checking.
Heights Among the Ogawa Storehouses
The Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura is best understood beside the Nikaigura. Both are early Showa earthen storehouses, both stand parallel, and both are Hirairi, entered from the long side. The difference is height: the Sankaigura rises higher by the amount its floor was lifted.
It is not the only building here raised against water. The Tool Storehouse in the middle of the plot is entered up a short flight of steps, which the Agency also reads as flood protection. Lifting the floor appears as a shared habit in the Ogawa storehouses of the early Showa era.
Its position close to the Main House fits its contents. Pickles and bedding, the stuff of everyday life, were kept a few steps behind the family's rooms.
Seeing the Ogawa Sankaigura
The interior of the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura is not open, and because it stands behind the Main House it is hard to see from Kawaramachi Street.
The grounds are managed by the Kazeno Kurayoshi hotel. The hotel's information places its Ogawa-side rooms in the Main House, the Western-style wing, the reception wing and the tea room, and says nothing about the use of or access to this storehouse.
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Q&A
- What is the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura?
- An early Showa-era earthen storehouse on the Ogawa family's estate in Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi. It has 3 storeys and a building area of 62 square meters, and was registered on October 9, 1998.
- Why does the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura have three storeys?
- It is a two-storey storehouse with its floor raised, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs believes was done to guard against flooding. That adaptation to local conditions is why it was valued.
- What was the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura used for?
- At the time of registration in 1998, the ground floor stored pickles and the upper two floors stored bedding.
- Where does the Ogawa Sankaigura stand on the estate?
- North of the Nikaigura and parallel to it, between that storehouse and the Main House.
- Can visitors go inside the Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura?
- No. It is not open, it sits behind the Main House, and the grounds are managed by the Kazeno Kurayoshi hotel.
Basic Information
| Name | Ogawa Sake Brewery Sankaigura (小川酒造三階蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1969 Kawaramachi, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 31-0034 |
| Year Designated | Registered October 9, 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 3 storeys, tiled roof, building area 62 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 Sankaigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000894
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Shuzo Nikaigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000893
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ogawa Shuzo Dougugura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000895
- 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: Rooms
- https://www.kazenoheritage.jp/hotels/kurayoshi/rooms/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
