- No-11
- Moji Ward Office (Former Moji City Hall)
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■ Commentary
Moji Ward Office is a 3-story reinforced concrete construction situated on a hill overlooking Moji Port and JR Mojiko Station. Viewed from the coastal road, the simple form of the cream colored building against the green of the mountains behind it create a beautiful contrast.
Moji Port was a small fishing village until 1887. However, it was designated a special port of export for goods such as coal and rice in 1889, and when Kyushu Railway opened in 1891 it experienced striking growth as the gateway to Kyushu on land and sea.
Because of this, in 1894 the surrounding villages merged to create the town of Moji, which became a city in 1899. Other communities also became cities, with Kokura becoming a municipality the following year, and Wakamatsu, Yahata, and Tobata following in the Taisho era (1912–1926). Therefore, the people of Moji were proud to have been the very first to form a city in Kyushu. In 1908, Moji City Hall moved from Nishihon-machi to Kiyotaki, and the present-day Moji Ward Office was completed in 1930 as Moji City Hall.
The 5 cities of Moji, Kokura, Wakamatsu, Yahata, and Tobata merged to create the City of Kitakyushu on February 10, 1963. With this, Moji City became Moji District in the City of Kitakyushu, and Moji City Hall became Moji Ward Office. The building is still being used today and was designated as a national registered tangible cultural property in 1999.
The total construction cost for the old Moji City Hall was around 500,000 yen, including a portion of the land cost, but the value today is said to be equal to 2–2.5 billion yen.
The building’s designer was Ken Kurata who is known for designing many buildings on the Hakozaki Campus of Kyushu University. He taught architectural structures to students as a lecturer while working as an engineer at Kyushu Imperial University (present-day Kyushu University) in 1911. He later supervised the temporary architectural office for the engineering school of the same university.
In 1918, the architectural office became the architectural department of the university. As the first department head, Kurata designed and supervised nearly 40 large and small buildings for the university until he stepped down in 1929.
Aside from the university, he is said to have also been involved in designing places such as the Fukuokanichi Nichi Shimbun (newspaper; present-day The Nishinippon Shimbun ) and Kurume City Hall. He is known for a unique style. In particular, there were buildings at Kyushu University from his early years incorporating the Secession style that used soft curves to works from his later years that further pushed towards dissolution of formal style. forward disassembly .
Kurata is also believed to have been involved in the design of the old Moji City Hall while he was department head. It showss similarity with the old engineering department’s main building at Kyushu University is recognized, apart from details such as ornamental elements. At the time of its construction, it was reported to be “a modern government building of which Japan should be proud.” -
■ Information
Address：3-6-8 Kiyotaki, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
Tel： 093-331-1881
Parking：Not available
Hours : 10:00–17:00
Closed :
Fee : Free
Other/Notifications：
URL: -
■Category
Category: Constituent cultural properties
Genre: Story 2
Areas:Moji/Kokura area
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