The Gate in Front of the House
The Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence (小嶋総本店門及び板塀) is a timber gate and fence of about 1919 enclosing the front garden of the Kojima Sohonten sake brewery in Honmachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 6 March 2024 under number 06-0220.
The gate, roofed in copper, is 1.9 metres wide, and the copper-capped board fence that continues from it runs for 7.8 metres in total. The Council for Cultural Affairs classed the pair as a structure rather than a building.
Both are dated to around 1919, the same years as the Shop and Main House behind them, and were evidently built as part of the same street frontage after the Great Fire of Yonezawa.
Small Details, Carefully Matched
The Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. The gate is an udegimon, a simple bracket-armed gate of one bay and one opening, with widely spaced rafters. The ends of its copper-sheathed ridge curl up in the form called toriyasumi, a "bird perch," and sliding timber doors fill the opening.
The fence stands on a timber sill. Vertical boards are nailed alternately to both faces of four horizontal rails in the yamato-uchi manner, so the fence looks finished from inside and out.
Its coping is sheathed in copper too, and at the southern end it rises into the same bird-perch shape as the gate ridge. The official description calls it careful work, and the repetition of that one detail is what the eye catches.
What to Look For
Because the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence stand right at the property line, they are the registered structures you can get closest to from the street. Look first at the ridge ends of the gate, then follow the fence to its southern tip to find the matching curl.
Seen at an angle, the stepped overlap of the boards reads clearly. Late-afternoon light raking across the fence brings out the rhythm best.
Visiting
The Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence can be seen and photographed from the public road. The garden behind the gate and the house beyond it are private and closed to visitors.
The brewery opens its working areas to the public once a year during the 360° Yonezawa Open Factory.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- Where can I see the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence?
- From the public road in front of the Shop and Main House, where they close off its front garden. The gate itself cannot be entered.
- How old is the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence?
- It dates from about 1919, like the house behind it, and was registered on 6 March 2024.
- How big is the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence?
- The gate is 1.9 metres wide and the fence runs 7.8 metres in total; both are timber with copper roofing and coping.
- What details should I look for on the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence?
- The upturned bird-perch ends of the copper-sheathed gate ridge, repeated at the southern end of the fence coping, and the yamato-uchi boarding on both faces of the fence.
- Is there a sake tour or tasting near the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence?
- The Honmachi compound where the Kojima Sohonten Gate and Board Fence 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 Gate and Board Fence (小嶋総本店門及び板塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 752 Honmachi 2-chome, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/03/06 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, copper roof, 1.9 metres wide / Fence: timber, copper coping, 7.8 metres long |
| Owner | Kojima Sohonten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the public road (grounds closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — 小嶋総本店門及び板塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014726
- 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
