Next in the Eastern Row
Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse (小嶋総本店二号蔵) is a late Meiji-period (1898–1912) earthen storehouse on the east side of the Kojima Sohonten sake brewery in Honmachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 6 March 2024 under number 06-0212.
A single-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a detached iron-sheet gable roof and a building area of 142 square metres, it stands south of No. 1 across a narrow passage, with the warehouse attached to its southern end. Along the eastern street the order runs No. 1, No. 2, warehouse.
West of it stands No. 3, which is older, so No. 2 filled a gap between earlier buildings.
Matching the Street, Modernising the Roof
Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it shares its design with No. 1 and that the two together create an orderly street front.
The walls are Shikkui plaster with a skirt of red-tiled Namako-kabe. Built decades after its neighbour, it deliberately copies the older building's street face.
There are doorways in both gable ends, hung with plastered double doors, so the building can be walked through from the passage on the north to the warehouse on the south. Overhead, though, the builders used a king post truss rather than the older strutted rafters of No. 1. The face is traditional, the frame is late-Meiji modern.
What to Look For
See Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse together with No. 1 from the eastern street. At the passage between them the tiled band stops and then resumes, and the differences in wall length and window placement give away two separate campaigns of building.
The plastered doors in the gable ends face into the compound and are hard to see from outside.
Visiting
The Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse faces the street on the east, so its exterior can be seen from the public road. The interior is closed and the grounds cannot be entered; take photographs from the road.
The brewing floor opens once a year during the 360° Yonezawa Open Factory. Check that year's notice for which buildings are on the tour.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- When was Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912. It was registered on 6 March 2024.
- How is Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse different from No. 1?
- They share white plaster walls with a red-tiled namako-kabe skirt, but No. 2 has a king post truss roof while No. 1 uses paired rafters propped at mid-span.
- Can I visit Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse?
- The interior is closed. The exterior can be seen from the street on the east side of the brewery.
- How big is Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen storehouse with a building area of 142 square metres.
- Is there a sake tour or tasting near Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse?
- The Honmachi compound where Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse stands is normally closed, but the brewery's museum, Toko no Sakagura, a few minutes' walk away in Omachi, offers exhibits on sake-making and paid tastings. Check the Kojima Sohonten website for current hours and admission.
Basic Information
| Name | Kojima Sohonten No. 2 Storehouse (小嶋総本店二号蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 752 Honmachi 2-chome, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture (and adjoining lots) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/03/06 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, iron-sheet roof, building area 142 square metres |
| Owner | Kojima Sohonten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible from the public road (brewery open one day a year) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — 小嶋総本店二号蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014718
- Agency for Cultural Affairs press release — Council for Cultural Affairs report on registered buildings, 24 November 2023
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/93969901.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — List of buildings recommended for registration, 24 November 2023 (PDF)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/93969901_03.pdf
- Toko / Kojima Sohonten — Access
- https://www.sake-toko.co.jp/access/
- Toko / Kojima Sohonten — 360° Yonezawa Open Factory notice
- https://www.sake-toko.co.jp/news/4592/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
