Sapporo Beer Museum
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The is a museum located in the Sapporo Garden Park in Higashi-ku,
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
,
Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Registered as one of the Hokkaidō Heritage sites in 2004, the museum is the only beer museum in Japan. The red-brick building was erected originally as a factory of the Sapporo Sugar Company in 1890, and later opened as a museum in July 1987. The building also houses the Sapporo Beer Garden in the south wing.


History

The history of the Sapporo Beer Museum dates back to
Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, when
William Smith Clark William Smith Clark (July 31, 1826 – March 9, 1886) was an American professor of chemistry, botany and zoology, a colonel during the American Civil War, and a leader in agricultural education. Raised and schooled in Easthampton, Massachuset ...
, who visited Hokkaidō as an
O-yatoi gaikokujin The foreign employees in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as ''O-yatoi Gaikokujin'' ( Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: , "hired foreigners"), were hired by the Japanese government and municipalities for their specialized knowledge and skill to assist in the ...
, started
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
production, and the Hokkaidō Kaitaku-shi, the former government of Hokkaidō, established a number of breweries in Sapporo. William Clark was a president of the
Massachusetts Agricultural College The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
, which had one of the best techniques of beet production in the United States at that time, and he hoped to establish the beet cultivation in Hokkaidō during his stay. After Clark went back to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the Kaitaku-shi began beet production in Nanae Village, where is currently a part of
Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...
. This was the first beet cultivation in Hokkaidō.Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation
/ref> In 1878, the Kaitaku-shi delegated beet cultivation to the
Sapporo Agricultural College was a school in Sapporo, Hokkaidō established in September 1875 for the purpose of educating students in the agriculture industry. History The first president of the college was Zusho Hirotake. Dr. William Smith Clark, a graduate of Amhers ...
, the predecessor of the
Hokkaidō University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...
, and a Monbetsu Sugar Factory was built in 1879, where currently
Date Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner ** Group dating *Play date, a ...
is located. The sugar factory was disposed to the private, and in 1888, the Sapporo Sugar Company was established with a sugar manufacturing factory in Naebo Village, which would have been Naebo area in Higashi-ku, Sapporo. The company was established as a manufacturer of beet sugar, and asked foreign engineers for advice. The factory building of the Sapporo Sugar Company later became the Sapporo Beer Museum and the Sapporo Beer Garden. The construction of the building was supervised by the government of Hokkaidō, and a Germany-based company the Sangerhausen. While the sugar manufacturing building was constructed, the Kaitaku-shi Brewery was established on September 23, 1876, in the place where now the Sapporo Factory is located. It was built by the government official Murahashi Hisanari. The chief engineer of the brewery was Seibei Nakagawa, who learned brewing technique in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The inauguration was held at the brewery, and beer barrels were piled up in front of the building. These barrels were restored, and currently located in the area of the Sapporo Beer Museum. The Kaitaku-shi Brewery was disposed, and the Sapporo Beer Company was established in December 1887, which later became the
Sapporo Brewery is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo is the oldest brand of beer in Japan. It was first brewed in Sapporo, Japan, in 1876 by brewer Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Toky ...
. Due to the popularization of Taiwanese sugar manufacturers after the end of
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...
in 1895, Japanese sugar manufacture declined, causing liquidation of the beet manufacturing factory run by the Sapporo Sugar Company. In 1903, the Sapporo Beer Company purchased and remodeled the factory to use as a brewery. The factory was operated until 1965, and the Kaitaku-shi Beer Memorial Hall was constructed at the third floor of the building in 1967, which exhibited a number of historical records, tools, and documents practically used in the factory. After the renovation of the building, the Sapporo Beer Museum was officially opened to the public in July 1987. After the function of the factory as a brewery transferred to Eniwa, the building was renovated again and renewedly opened in December 2004. In 1996, the
Agency for Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The ag ...
proposed to register the Sapporo Beer Museum as one of the Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The museum side, however, declined the proposal. This was mainly because if it was registered, the permission of the government would be required to remodel the building each time, which was thought to be inconvenient by the museum.Yomiuri Online
, January 7, 2003.
The museum was registered as one of the Hokkaidō Heritage sites on October 22, 2004.


Overview

The Sapporo Beer Museum has three floors, and is free to enter. A museum tour is available. The panels displaying the history of people involved in beer industry and the Sapporo Brewery Inc. are exhibited. Other exhibited items include beer bottles, signs, posters, miniatures of the building, and instruments for brewing beer. Some of them were actually used in the brewery before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Since some products of the DaiNippon Beer Company, a predecessor of the Sapporo Brewery, were also housed in the museum, materials related to the Yebisu Beer are exhibited as well as the Sapporo Beer ones. A museum bar is located on the second floor, and visitors can try alcohol products of the Sapporo Beer. The first floor has a restaurant called "Star Hall", and a museum shop. The Sapporo Garden Park also houses the Ario Sapporo, a shopping mall, and the Sapporo Beer Garden, which is connected to the museum.


See also

*
Asahi Beer Hall The Asahi Beer Hall ( a.k.a. ''Super Dry Hall'', or ''Flamme d'Or'') is one of the buildings of the Asahi Breweries headquarters located on the east bank of the Sumida River in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed by French designer Phili ...


References


External links


The Sapporo Beer Museum


{{Coord, 43.071524, 141.368889, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:JP_scale:10000 Industrial buildings completed in 1890 Museums established in 1987 Museums in Sapporo Food museums in Japan Beer museums Sapporo Breweries Higashi-ku, Sapporo Buildings and structures in Sapporo Tourist attractions in Sapporo Beer gardens 1890 establishments in Japan