A Taishō Storehouse Still at Work
Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse (長沼合名会社中蔵, nakagura) is a two-storey earthen storehouse from the Taishō era (1912 to 1925) in Tokamachi, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008. It is built in Dozo-zukuri style with a metal-clad roof and covers 117 square metres.
It stands northwest of the store and main house, its ridge running east to west. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the ground floor has a concrete floor holding storage tanks and the upper floor is boarded. Of all the registered buildings, the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse is the one the official record shows still fitted out for sake production.
Traditional Walls, Modern Frame
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is one of the storehouses the family built for production after they began brewing in 1916.
From outside it is a classic lime-plastered storehouse. Inside are a concrete floor and a trussed roof, both modern techniques. The agency describes the brewing storehouse to the north as built to the same specification, so the two appear to have been designed together with brewing in mind. The storehouse form stayed; what happened inside it changed.
Iron Doors and Local Stone
The building measures 16 metres by 7.3 metres under a gable roof built as an oki-yane, a separate roof frame set on the earthen body, clad in metal sheet. Walls inside and out are finished in Shikkui lime plaster.
The doors are iron, and the doorway is framed in stone quarried locally. If you get a look at the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse, note the contrast of white plaster, dark iron and grey stone.
The roof frame on the upper floor is a truss, slender members joined in triangles, which spans the 7.3-metre width without interior posts. The concrete floor below takes the weight of the tanks and stands up to wet work.
Seeing the Middle Storehouse
The storehouse stands inside the compound, northwest of the house, and is hard to see from the street. It is a working space with storage tanks, and no public access to the interior is announced.
There is no published photography policy. Directions are on the Naganuma General Partnership Company group page. Information checked on 26 September 2026.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse?
- It stands inside the compound and is hard to see from the street. It is a working space with storage tanks, and no public access to the interior is announced.
- When was the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō era (1912 to 1925). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008.
- What is the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse used for?
- According to the agency, storage tanks stand on its concrete ground floor. The upper floor is boarded.
- How big is the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse?
- It measures 16 metres by 7.3 metres, two storeys, with a footprint of 117 square metres.
- How is the Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse built?
- Lime plaster inside and out, iron doors with a surround of local stone, a concrete ground floor and a trussed roof frame.
Basic Information
| Name | Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-652-1 Tokamachi, Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/4/18 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 16 metres by 7.3 metres, building area 117 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs records |
| Public Access | Hard to see from the street. No public interior access is announced |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Naganuma General Partnership Company Middle Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006985
- Naganuma Gomei Kaisha: About the Brewery (Japanese)
- https://soumura.com/about.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
