Kyushu Railway History Museum (Former Kyushu Railway Head Office)
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■ Commentary
The Kyushu Railway Company was established in 1888 as the first railway company in Kyushu. The Kyushu Railway History Museum is housed in the building constructed in 1891 as the main office in 1891. The Kyushu Railway Company originally established a temporary head office in Hakata, but when Moji Station (present-day Mojiko Station) opened in 1891, it moved its head office south of thate station. That was the time when cCoal was booming at the time. In 1889, Moji Port was designated the country’s special port of export to handle coal. With the completion of the port and the railroad, coal from Chikuho that until then had been collected in Wakamatsu and Ashiya was directly transported to Moji Station by way of Orio, then exported from Moji Port. Kyushu Railway played a major role as a means of transportation that linked the coal-producing fields of Chikuho with the shipping port, of Moji Port. After 1891, Sseveral private railways were opened within Kyushu after Kyushu Railway starting in 1891, but having the multipleicity of railroads was not desirable ideal for various companies due to complications in terms of both management and train operation. In the end, mergers were made and Kyushu Railway absorbed the other companies. Chikuho Railway came under its control in 1897, Imari Railway in 1898, Hoshu Railway in 1901, and Karatsu Railway in 1902. Later, the Railway Nationalization Act was passed by the Imperial Diet in 1906. The following year in 1907, Kyushu Railway was nationalized and when it was later privatized again in 1987, in time the building became the Kyushu Branch Office of the Japanese National Railway Settlement Corporation in 1987 due to privatization. The building, which served as the head office of Kyushu Railway, was used by Japan National Railways and eventually became the property of JR Kyushu. In 2003, it opened as the Kyushu Railway History Museum. The 2-story brick building is approximately 62.5 meters in length. It was built narrow and long, stretching east-west along the road in front of the building. In the center are protruding entrances on both sides. The bricks that form the structural skeleton are arranged using Flemish bond masonry that alternates between the long and short sides of bricks. English bond masonry is used in some parts. Compared to the mainstream English bond masonry, Flemish bond masonry is aesthetically superior, but since it takes more time to lay the bricks, there are only a few examples that have been confirmed to existcan be found today in the northern region of Kyushu. Clinker bricks are used in the decorative horizontal band (ledge) in the middle between the 1st and 2nd floors, and in the upper portion of openings, serving to accent walls that tend to be monotonous. Large-scale improvements were made during the construction to transform the building into the railway museum, including the installation of metal plate roofing and steel frames inside, but the brick walls are the same as when the building was established.
■ Information
Address:2-3-29 Kiyotaki, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
Tel: 093-322-1006
Parking:available
Hours : 9:00–17:00
Closed : 2nd Wednesday of every month (excluding August) *In July, closed 2nd Wednesday/Thursday *Closed the following day when the 2nd Wednesday falls on a national holiday
Fee : Adults 300 yen (240 yen/person for groups) *Half price for jr. high school students and younger; children 4 and under are free
Other/Notifications:
URL:http://www.k-rhm.jp/
■Category
Category: Constituent cultural properties
Genre: Story 2
Areas:Moji/Kokura area