Ushiku Chateau

Ushiku Chateau is Japan’s first full-scale wine brewery, built in 1903 by the businessman Denbei Kamiya, known for Kamiya Bar in Asakusa. Modeled after wineries in the Bordeaux region of France, it was established as a facility that handled the entire process of winemaking, from grape cultivation to brewing and bottling. Incorporating the most advanced technology of the time, this brewery played a major role in laying the foundation for wine culture in Japan.

The site covers approximately 60,000 square meters, and the red-brick buildings from the late Meiji period still stand beautifully today. The three surviving buildings—the former office, former fermentation room, and former storage warehouse—have been highly praised for their architectural design and value in the history of industrial technology, and were designated a Modern Industrial Heritage site in 2007 and an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2008. As representative brick architecture of the Meiji era, these structures are extremely valuable historical and cultural remains.

The former fermentation room is now open to the public as the Kamiya Denbei Memorial Museum, where visitors can see brewing equipment used at the time of the winery’s founding, huge wooden barrels, and white oak wine casks. The first floor serves as a storage area, the second floor displays materials and photographs introducing Kamiya Denbei’s achievements and the history of Japanese wine, and the basement preserves the aging space from that era, covered in black mold. Through these exhibits, visitors can experience firsthand the history of Japanese winemaking that has continued since the Meiji period.

The former storage warehouse has also been renovated into a restaurant that makes use of its high ceilings and the warmth of brick, where guests can enjoy casual French cuisine paired with Ushiku-produced wine. The on-site shop sells pure Ushiku wine, original products, wines from around the world, and specialties from Ibaraki Prefecture, and tastings are also available.

Throughout its long history, Ushiku Chateau has overcome many hardships. Although part of the buildings was damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, restoration was completed and the site reopened in 2016. In 2020, it was further recognized as a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage designation “140 Years of Japanese Wine History: The Essence of Japanese Culture Brewed from Domestic Grapes.”

Today, Ushiku Chateau is cherished by many as a complex that blends wine, food, history, and tourism while preserving its value as a cultural property. Its beautiful brick buildings are a historic landmark representing Ibaraki Prefecture, conveying the romance of the Meiji era and the origins of Japanese winemaking to the present day.