Here Come the Sake Reporters! In Search of Good Sake vol.7

Vol. 7 "The Road to Rebuilding the Traditional Brewery"

[PAGE 1] [PAGE 2] [PAGE 3] [PAGE 4]

Nada, Hyogo Prefecture is known as the Mecca of sake brewing. No history of sake is complete without mentioning Nada. For this reason, the area around Nada Gogo is full of cultural heritage sites reminiscent of the area's long association with sake. One such attraction is the "Mukashi no Sakagura" (The Traditional Brewery) Sawanotsuru Museum, which opened to the public in 1978. But the museum, along with the rest of the city of Kobe, received a rude shock in the early morning of January 17, 1995, when the M7.2 Hanshin Earthquake destroyed the Traditional Brewery and many of its valuable exhibits.

Realizing the importance of this kura (brewery) as the home of sake culture, Sawanotsuru was determined to rebuild the structure. With the passionate support of many people, including the city and prefecture, the "Mukashi no Sakagura," which is designated as an important folk cultural asset, is moving towards total reconstruction by the spring of 1999.

This report is from Nada Nishigo Sawanotsuru, where the air is constantly buzzing with the sounds of busy reconstruction.

A Report on an Important Folk Cultural Asset Under Construction

Sawanotsuru was founded in the memorable year of 1717. Japan was under the rule of the 8th shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa and Echizen Ooka was appointed magistrate of Edo. Among the numerous sake manufacturers, Sawanotsuru outshines the rest with its long history and rich tradition.

Our destination for this report, the "Mukashi no Sakagura" (The Traditional Brewery) Sawanotsuru Museum, is a seven- or eight-minute walk south from Hanshin Railway's Oishi Station along the Toga River. It's still in the middle of reconstruction and not opened to the public, but we sake reporters were lucky enough to get a complete tour of the facilities.

The first thing that strikes you is how much more care is going into constructing this important folk cultural asset compared to the average wooden building. To rebuild as faithfully as possible to the original structure, more than half of the wood being used was salvaged from the rubble of the previous building, while the remainder is new wood that is purposely made to look old by coating it. Traditional building methods, with some help from the latest building technology concealed in the walls, will be used for reinforcement of the posts and walls.

Particularly of interest is a new, never-before-used earthquake resistant system for wooden cultural heritage buildings. To summarize briefly, the building sits on top of a concrete foundation layer, which in turn rests on top of earthquake resistant rubber and metal foundation blocks (for details, see the Sawanotsuru home page). We reporters even went under the floor to see this system with our own eyes.

Reporters in the 64 cm crawl space under the floor. This space absorbs the shock of earthquakes.

In rebuilding the rice moulding room (kojimuro), the ceiling, floors and walls are double layered and airtight in order to maintain the proper temperature. Although actual rice moulding won't take place in this room, it shows how dedicated the workers are to doing a thorough job. You can really feel the enthusiasm the workers have for this project.

The Sawanotsuru Museum is scheduled to open in the spring of 1999. The museum will be divided into six sections, such as steaming, rice moulding, and filtration. Look forward to a detailed report from us when the museum is completed.

Hanshin Railway's Oishi Station. Here, you'll find a guide map to the sake breweries, just what you'd expect in the home of sake.

The Sawanotsuru Museum under construction. The roof is covered to keep the valuable wood from getting wet.
(Photo taken from roof of the Zuihogura.)

Steel braces support the walls. These will be covered and unseen when the building is completed.

The earthquake resistant blocks are made of layered rubber and metal and each one is capable of supporting 100t. A total of eight of these, manufactured by Bridgestone Corp., support the building.


Vol. 7 "The Road to Rebuilding the Traditional Brewery" [PAGE 1] [PAGE 2] [PAGE 3] [PAGE 4]
Nada, Hyogo Prefecture is known as the Mecca of sake brewing. No history of sake is complete without mentioning Nada. For this reason, the area around Nada Gogo is full of cultural heritage sites reminiscent of the area's long association with sake. One such attraction is the "Mukashi no Sakagura" (The Traditional Brewery) Sawanotsuru Museum, which opened to the public in 1978. But the museum, along with the rest of the city of Kobe, received a rude shock in the early morning of January 17, 1995, when the M7.2 Hanshin Earthquake destroyed the Traditional Brewery and many of its valuable exhibits. Realizing the importance of this kura (brewery) as the home of sake culture, Sawanotsuru was determined to rebuild the structure. With the passionate support of many people, including the city and prefecture, the "Mukashi no Sakagura," which is designated as an important folk cultural asset, is moving towards total reconstruction by the spring of 1999. This report is from Nada Nishigo Sawanotsuru, where the air is constantly buzzing with the sounds of busy reconstruction.

A Report on an Important Folk Cultural Asset Under Construction
Sawanotsuru was founded in the memorable year of 1717. Japan was under the rule of the 8th shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa and Echizen Ooka was appointed magistrate of Edo. Among the numerous sake manufacturers, Sawanotsuru outshines the rest with its long history and rich tradition. Our destination for this report, the "Mukashi no Sakagura" (The Traditional Brewery) Sawanotsuru Museum, is a seven- or eight-minute walk south from Hanshin Railway's Oishi Station along the Toga River. It's still in the middle of reconstruction and not opened to the public, but we sake reporters were lucky enough to get a complete tour of the facilities. The first thing that strikes you is how much more care is going into constructing this important folk cultural asset compared to the average wooden building. To rebuild as faithfully as possible to the original structure, more than half of the wood being used was salvaged from the rubble of the previous building, while the remainder is new wood that is purposely made to look old by coating it. Traditional building methods, with some help from the latest building technology concealed in the walls, will be used for reinforcement of the posts and walls. Particularly of interest is a new, never-before-used earthquake resistant system for wooden cultural heritage buildings. To summarize briefly, the building sits on top of a concrete foundation layer, which in turn rests on top of earthquake resistant rubber and metal foundation blocks (for details, see the Sawanotsuru home page). We reporters even went under the floor to see this system with our own eyes. Reporters in the 64 cm crawl space under the floor. This space absorbs the shock of earthquakes. In rebuilding the rice moulding room (kojimuro), the ceiling, floors and walls are double layered and airtight in order to maintain the proper temperature. Although actual rice moulding won't take place in this room, it shows how dedicated the workers are to doing a thorough job. You can really feel the enthusiasm the workers have for this project. The Sawanotsuru Museum is scheduled to open in the spring of 1999. The museum will be divided into six sections, such as steaming, rice moulding, and filtration. Look forward to a detailed report from us when the museum is completed.		Hanshin Railway's Oishi Station. Here, you'll find a guide map to the sake breweries, just what you'd expect in the home of sake. The Sawanotsuru Museum under construction. The roof is covered to keep the valuable wood from getting wet. (Photo taken from roof of the Zuihogura.) Steel braces support the walls. These will be covered and unseen when the building is completed. The earthquake resistant blocks are made of layered rubber and metal and each one is capable of supporting 100t. A total of eight of these, manufactured by Bridgestone Corp., support the building.