Former geisha office in Tokyo to re-open next month
The historic Shibaura Kenban building in Tokyo will re-open in April after undergoing a full restoration. Built in the 1930s, this is said to be the only surviving pre-war, wood-frame ‘kenban’ in Tokyo. A kenban was traditionally an office that oversaw the operations of the geisha in the district.
Jiro Osaragi’s former residence in Kamakura on the market
On October 9, the Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper reported that the former residence of author Jiro Osaragi (1897-1973) in Kamakura is for sale. The 100-year old traditional thatched roof house is designated by the city as an important scenic structure. The owners are hoping to find a buyer that will continue to preserve the culturally significant and historic home.
120-yr old Mitsui Besso in Karuizawa at risk of demolition
The recent sale of the original Karuizawa holiday home of Saburosuke Mitsui (1850-1912) to a buyer from an offshore tax haven has locals worried the historic house may soon be demolished.
Mitsui Main Building turns 90
The Mitsui Main Building in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, turns 90 this year. Built in March 1929 to house Mitsui’s various companies, it remains one of the corporation's landmark assets to this day.
The 7-storey Classical Revival-style building was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston of New York and constructed by James Stewart & Co. It replaced the former Mitsui building that was built in 1902 but destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. The new building was designed to withstand twice the force of the previous earthquake. It more recent years it has been found to have been built to double the standard prescribed under the Act on Promotion of Seismic Retrofitting of Buildings (1995).
The door to the bank vault weighs 50 tons. Too heavy to be carried over Nihonbashi Bridge, it had to be transported by boat along the canal.
The land had been in the Mitsui family since the Edo period, having originally been home to a Mitsui-owned clothing store. That clothing store went on to become the neighboring Mitsukoshi department store, with the bank branch located across the street.
Between 1945 and 1947, the GHQ had temporarily taken over the 4th and 5th floors of the building. The 7th floor houses the Mitsui Memorial Museum which showcases over 4,000 items that have been collected by the Mitsui family since the Edo period.
Location
2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Source: Mitsui Fudosan News Release, June 4, 2019.
Heritage-listed merchant house in Kyoto up for sale
The heritage-listed Watanabe Residence in Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture, is listed for sale for 25,800,000 Yen (approx. 235,000 USD), leaving locals concerned about its fate. The 150-year old merchant house is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.
Kyoto is losing its modern architecture
Kyoto’s modern architecture (buildings built from the Meiji period through to pre-war) is starting to disappear as developers grow increasingly keen on grabbing new sites for development.
280-yr old Inn to be demolished
The owner of a 280-year old Inn in Muko City, Kyoto, has made an inevitable but unfortunate decision to demolish the historic property as maintenance becomes too costly.