- No-25
- Hachiya Bldg. (Former Shimonoseki Branch Office of Toyo Hogei Co., Ltd.)
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■ Commentary
Toyo Hogei K.K. , which was established in 1909, used to be Nippon Enyo Gyogyo K.K., which had its head office built in 1899 in present-day Senzaki, Nagato City. In the Taisho era (1912–1926), it nearly monopolized the whaling industry in Japan. Back from the time when it was Nippon Enyo Gyogyo, it had established a satellite office in present-day Hanano-cho, Shimonoseki City.
The company’s name changed to Nippon Hogei K.K. in 1934 due to a merger, and again to Kyodo Gyogyo , then to Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. in 1937. After becoming Nippon Hogei through the merger, it was the first in Japan to send a fleet of whaling ships to the Antarctic Ocean. The whaling fleet fished for 3 months and primarily produced whale oil.
The history of whaling in Shimonoseki dates back to the Jomon period (around 10,000 BCE–300 BCE). From the medieval period, an ancient type of whaling called Choshu whaling that began in the 16th century took place primarily in whaling groups established in the vicinity of present-day locations such as the cities of Nagato and Hagi. Shimonoseki City also prospered as a transshipment station for whale meat and whale oil, and the Choshu Domain encouraged whaling as a robust fiscal resourceof income. The focus was placed on whaling until the Meiji period (1868–1912), but since Russia conducted whaling in the Sea of Japan, the ancient type of coastal whaling died off.
Later, the Norwegian whaling method was adopted as modern whaling, and the area once again was energized as the cradle of whaling in Japan. In particular, Shimonoseki City built a standing as a leading base for Antarctic Ocean whaling ships throughout the pre-war and post-war periods and was central to whaling-related industries.
Among them, the Hachiya Bldg. is a structure that communicates the city’s history as an office building harking back to the heyday of the whaling industry in Shimonoseki. It is an important cultural property.
The mullions (vertical window posts supporting the aperture materials) between the windows have been tiled, and the exterior has a mortar finish. There are decorations of geometrical patterns on the upper portion of the pilasters that jut out from the exterior walls.
Excluding the addition built in 1978, approximately 240 square meters were designated as a national registered tangible cultural property in 2013. Repairs carried out Aafter its registration, repairs that made the most of the building’s characteristics were carried out, and part of ita portion has been used as a restaurant from since March 2017. The central decorations and pillars in the restaurant preserve the original appearance of the building -
■ Information
Address：13-7 Hanano-cho, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tel：
Parking：available
Hours :
Closed :
Fee :
Other/Notifications：Only the exterior can be viewed
URL: -
■Category
Category: Constituent cultural properties
Genre: Story 3
Areas:Shimonoseki area
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