- No-20
- Former Furukawa Mining, Wakamatsu Bldg.
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■ Commentary
The Former Furukawa Mining, Wakamatsu Bldg. is a 2-story brick building constructed by the Obayashi Gumi in 1919. When Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd. decided to dismantle the building due to its deterioration in 1995, local residents began taking action to preserve it. Because of this, the City of Kitakyushu decided to preserve it and began repairs and improvements in 2001. In 2004, it was opened to the public as the City of Kitakyushu Former Furukawa Mining, Wakamatsu Bldg.
The building planes form an acute angle so that it fits along the roads it faces. A 3-story tower is placed in the corner where the roads intersect. This is where the main entrance is located. The exterior emphasizes vertical lines with tall windows and evenly spaced pilasters.
There are gorgeous decorations around the building’s middle, on the flooring of the 2nd floor, and around the eaves. In particular, small Renaissance-style details are inlayed on places including the entrance eaves and tower entrance to create a lovely exterior. When the building was originally constructed, there was an office and vault on the 1st floor, and facilities such as a branch manager’s office and meeting rooms on the 2nd floor.
A look at the exterior shows no signs of outstanding damage to the brick structure, attesting to careful construction. In addition, the building is near the sea and the structure with its pine pile continually submerged pine stumps seems to have protected the buildingit from damage.
Since the Edo period (1603–1868), Wakamatsu prospered as a shipping port for the annual rice tax and coal from the Onga River basin.
It became one of Japan’s leading coal shipping areas as modernization progressed, including during the rise in demand for coal from starting in the Meiji period (1868–1912), the mechanization of mining, the opening of railroads, and the construction of Wakamatsu Port. Coal-related companies, marine transport companies, trading companies, and banks, among others lined the streets nearby and in the Dokai Bay coastal area.
In the Taisho era (1912–1926) and the early Showa era (1926–1989), there was new construction and rebuilding, and certain parts such as Wakamatsu Minami Kaigan still retain that landscape today.
This building has the most superb design out of the Western-style buildings still standing in Wakamatsu. Set against the historical landscape of this region, it communicates Wakamatsu’s prosperity in that time, and received the City of Kitakyushu Urban Landscape Award in 2006 and the BELCA Award in 2007 -
■ Information
Address：1-11-18 Hon-machi, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
Tel： 093-752-3387
Parking：available
Hours : 9:00–17:00
Closed : Tuesdays, year-end/New Years
Fee : Free
Other/Notifications：
URL:http://fkw.jpn.org/index.htm -
■Category
Category: Constituent cultural properties
Genre: Story 1,3
Areas:Wakamatsu/Tobata area
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