The Covered Yard Between the Storehouses
The Kojima Sohonten Workshop (小嶋総本店作業場) is a timber work hall of the late Taisho period (1919–1926) running east-west through the centre of the Kojima Sohonten sake brewery in Honmachi, Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 6 March 2024 under number 06-0218.
Single-storey, with an iron-sheet gable roof and a building area of 298 square metres, it is second in size only to the Shop and Main House. It runs west from the southern end of No. 1 Storehouse and doubles as the passage linking the storehouses.
A boiler room and a bottling plant are attached on its north side, so heat, fermentation and bottling all connect through this one building.
Where the Storehouses Open
The Kojima Sohonten Workshop was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the passage and work space that shapes the middle of the compound.
The doors of No. 3 and No. 4 Storehouses open onto its south side, creating what the official text calls the kuramae, the working apron in front of the storehouses where brewers come and go. In effect a Taisho-era roof was thrown over the doorsteps of an Edo storehouse and a Meiji one.
The roof is carried on a king post truss, the method that let a wide work floor go without interior posts, shared with the warehouse and No. 5 Storehouse.
What to Look For
The Kojima Sohonten Workshop matters for what it joins. Its east end meets No. 1, its south side the doors of Nos. 3 and 4, its north side the boiler room and bottling line. Every path through the brewery passes here.
From outside only part of its roof can be glimpsed; the kuramae itself is visible only from within the compound.
Visiting
The Kojima Sohonten Workshop stands inside the compound, and only parts of its roof and walls show from the street. The interior is closed and the grounds cannot be entered; photographs can only be taken from the public road.
The brewing floor opens once a year during the 360° Yonezawa Open Factory, when the working storehouses are the focus of the tour. How much of No. 3, No. 4 and the workshop is shown varies with each year's programme.
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Q&A
- What is the Kojima Sohonten Workshop?
- A single-storey timber work hall of the late Taisho period, between 1919 and 1926, that runs through the centre of the brewery and links the storehouses. It covers 298 square metres.
- Why is the Kojima Sohonten Workshop a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 6 March 2024 for its contribution to the historic townscape: the doors of No. 3 and No. 4 Storehouses open onto it, forming the working apron at the heart of the compound.
- What kind of roof does the Kojima Sohonten Workshop have?
- An iron-sheet gable roof carried on a king post truss.
- Can I visit the Kojima Sohonten Workshop?
- It stands inside the compound and is closed, but the brewery opens once a year during the 360° Yonezawa Open Factory.
- Is there a sake tour or tasting near the Kojima Sohonten Workshop?
- The Honmachi compound where the Kojima Sohonten Workshop 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 Workshop (小嶋総本店作業場) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Timber, single-storey, iron-sheet roof, building area 298 square metres |
| Owner | Kojima Sohonten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed; stands inside the compound (brewery open one day a year) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — 小嶋総本店作業場
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014724
- 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
