The Storehouse Without Windows
Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse (樽平酒造西蔵, Nishigura) is a brewing storehouse in Nakakomatsu, Kawanishi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 November 1997 under registration number 06-0013.
It is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 205 square metres, standing at the north end of the Middle Storehouse and facing the East Storehouse.
Like the East Storehouse, it holds brewing tanks. A Meiji addition, it works as a unit with the two Edo-period storehouses beside it.
A Standard of Design
The Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse and the Middle Storehouse are the only two of the seven buildings registered as setting a standard of design. The rest were recognised for their contribution to the streetscape.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs picks out two things. The West Storehouse stands a little lower than the Middle Storehouse, and its walls have no openings at all. No windows, no visible doors on the face: for a building whose job is to keep light and outside air away from what is inside, that is the plain answer.
The Agency's note ends by grouping it with the Middle and East Storehouses as good examples of earthen-walled brewery buildings. The value lies partly in the building and partly in the fact that all three survive together.
What to Look For
Look at the West Storehouse next to the Middle Storehouse. The difference in height the Agency mentions shows most clearly at the eaves.
With no openings, the elevation is just white wall and roofline. It is a storehouse reduced to its basic form.
The East Storehouse opposite turns a gable to the street. The West Storehouse faces inward. Both hold the same tanks; one has a public face and one does not.
Visiting the West Storehouse
The Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse is a working brewhouse and cannot be entered freely. The interior can only be seen as part of the brewery tour, on weekday afternoons by reservation; ask when booking which storehouses are included.
It sits deep in the premises and is hard to see from the highway. Follow your guide's instructions on photography inside. Directions are on the Taruhei Sake Brewery page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamagata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse
- [ Yamadera Temple & Zao Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- How old is the Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period.
- What is distinctive about the Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse?
- Its walls have no openings, and it stands slightly lower than the Middle Storehouse. It houses brewing tanks.
- Why is the Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse a registered cultural property?
- It was registered on 5 November 1997 as a building that sets a standard of design, cited with the Middle and East Storehouses as a good example of an earthen-walled brewery building.
- Can the Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse be seen from the road?
- Only with difficulty. It stands at the north end of the Middle Storehouse, deep inside the premises.
- Can I go inside the Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse?
- Not freely. Parts of the brewery can be seen on the weekday-afternoon tour, booked in advance.
Basic Information
| Name | Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse (樽平酒造西蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2960 Nakakomatsu, Kawanishi-machi, Higashiokitama-gun, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registration number 06-0013 |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/11/5 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, single storey, sheet-metal roof; building area 205 square metres |
| Owner | Taruhei Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Hard to see from the road; interior only as part of the brewery tour (weekday afternoons, reservation required) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database of Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taruhei Sake Brewery West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000325
- Kawanishi Town: Taruhei Sake Brewery and Kikusui Kogeikan
- https://www.town.kawanishi.yamagata.jp/kyoiku/bunka/taruhei.html
- Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association: Taruhei Shuzo
- https://japansake.or.jp/sakagura/jp/yamagata/taruhei-shuzou/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
