k a w a g o e

Ka wag o e’s
A m a z ing
Bu ildingsa r c h i t e c t u r e

One of Kawagoe’s biggest charms is its Kurazukuri
townscape.
The Edo period scenery amazes tourists.
There are many other beautiful and historic buildings in Kawagoe that the people have protected.

Hakomune roof ridge (Harada House)

Kawagoe is famous for its Kurazukuri townscapeThe storehouses of Ichibangai’s Kurazukuri townscape are acolor called “Edo black.” The area was made a national preservation district for traditional buildings in 1999. Many tourists visit Ichibangai each day, and it is now one of Kawagoe’s
most famous sightseeing spots.
A huge fire in the Meiji period became the reason for building the storehouses in Ichibangai. The fire started on March
17, 189 near the ojuin Temple. The fire spread because of
the wooden roofs used in the town. The fire destroyed around
40% of all homes in Kawagoe at the time.
Storehouse-style homes like the Osawa House, however,were not destroyed because they didn’t burn easily.
What is “Kurazukuri?”After the great fire, the merchants of Kawagoe saw thatstorehouses had not been destroyed. They then decided tobuild new storehouse-style homes and shops. In 1901, there
were 51 of these storehouses, and 24 had extra measures toprevent fires.
Kurazukuri storehouses with shop areas facing Ichibangai
were built. They were called “misegura.” They were used as
storehouses and shops, and were designed to prevent fires
from spreading.
They were also decorated a lot. They had many unique features, such as their impressive tiled roofs, the high ridge on
top of the roof called the “hakomune,” and the hakomune’s“onigawara” decorative tiles and “kagemori” joints. Thedoors and windows had a stepped design to create a tight seal
when closed. Finally, if a fire happened in the area, the doors
and windows were closed and people stood on the emergency “menuridai” stands to cover the door and window joints
with mud to increase protection. Also, bricks, a new material
at the time, were used to make walls between homes to prevent fires from spreading. Fires could happen at any time,
and the Kurazukuri buildings used many different measures
to protect the shops and goods inside them. Construction
workers, carpenters, and plasters worked together to build
the Kurazukuri buildings. The plaster and mud used to build
them was very hard to use, and Kurazukuri needed a lot ofskill to build. When a building was finished, a sign was added with the names of the people in charge of the construction, carpentry, and plastering.

Eave cornice (Fine china store YAMAWA)

like the Former Tanaka Family Residence, which has a Kurazukuri design, but the shop front on the street has a Western-style design. There are also early Western-style buildings, shrines, temples, and more. They are important
examples of different times in Japanese history, and are also
still used for businesses and homes.
The traditional merchant house has a narrow front but is very
long. On average, the front of merchant houses is 4.4 “ken”
wide, or eight meters. Many are “L”-shaped, with an alley orgarden on one side. Looking at one from the front, the layout
starts with the shop area, then tatami mat rooms, then a detached room, and lastly a storehouse area.
Merchant house shop areas have several common features.
They face the road, are right against the surrounding buildings, the second floor area is further back than the first floor

Onigawara decorative tile and kagemori joint (Flagship store ofMachikan)

area, the slope of the roof is uniform, and the front is symmetrical except for corner houses. The home areas in theback are different. They are not right against the surrounding
buildings. Instead, they have gardens with lots of sunlightand good airflow. This made these merchant houses comfortable places to live in even though they were very close together.

Merchant house layout and site

Kawagoe’s Kurazukuri townscapeMany different styles of buildings can be seen in Kawagoe
other than Kurazukuri. Kawagoe City’s national preservation district for traditional buildings has 136 traditionalbuildings in it. Many of them are Japanese-style merchanthouses, and this includes Kurazukuri-style ones. Some areThe Osawa House

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The Former Tanaka Family Residence87k a w a g o ea r c h i t e c t u r eods. Some good examples of early Western-style buildingsin Kawagoe are the Handmade Soba Hyakujo building (1930;
originally a fishing gear store and the Manita House 19 .
These buildings are still used as shops and restaurants. They
are important parts of history, but are also part of people’s
lives today.

44300

Brick fence
Annex

Tobacco storehouse

Closet8-tatami
mat room

17600

ClosetBath Dressing 6-tatami
room
mat room

Brick fence

Dirt
floor

Misegura(shop)

14800

KitchenDocument
storehouse

Document
storehouse

5-tatami
mat room
ClosetHandcart
Brick fence

42500Back area

Shop area
Kawagoe Christian Church

The Former Koyama Family Residence (Kawagoe Kurazukuri Museum)
From a report on Kawagoe ity’s Kura ukuri by the Kawagoe ity oard of ducation

Yamazaki House

Hakomune
Balance beams
RafterRidge beam
Central beams
Girder2850

Crossbeam

930

820

1820
１98 １80

2445

1935
165

Lower
wall

Front beams
1925

2450

RafterBasestone

820

2260

Second floor
beam

820

820

340

Veneer

570

Lower
roof

1760

1020

Menuridai
711

3790

SupportOverhanging
girderOverhanging
beam
Steppeddoor/window

Entrancestep
820

5030

Yamazaki House blueprint
From a report on Kawagoe ity’s Kura ukuri by the Kawagoe ity oard ofEducation

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Kawagoe’s early Western-style buildings

Protecting the townscape and growing

Many early Western-style buildings still stand in Kawagoe.
The 85th National ank building is still a landmark inKawagoe. It was designed by the architect Yasuoka Katsuya
and was completed in 1918. The design includes Renaissance-style decorations and a tower, and Persian-style
stripes. It is also known for being an early use of reinforced
concrete. Yasuoka Katsuya also designed the Former Yamakichi Department Store 19 6 now the amakichi uilding ,the ama aki House 1925 , and the Kawagoe Savings ank(1915; no longer exists).
Other buildings built after the great Meiji fire are still usedtoday. These include Kawagoe Christian Church, designedby William Wilson in 1921. It has beautiful French bondbricks and a hammerbeam roof. Another example is theKawagoe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Designed byMaeda Kenjiro in 1927, it has Doric columns and medallion
decorations.
There are also many large signs on buildings in Kawagoe
which were made between the Taisho and early Showa peri-

After World War II, people did not protect Kawagoe’s Kurazukuri townscape. Around the 1970s, however, more people became interested in protecting old buildings in Japan.
Kawagoe City began making some buildings cultural properties. At the same time, shopping streets and neighborhood
councils also started working to protect these buildings. ecause of this, eventually Kawagoe’s Kurazukuri townscape
was chosen to be a national preservation district for traditional buildings.
With the help of building owners and preservation groupssuch as Kawagoe Townscape Committee and Kawagoe Kurano Kai, Kawagoe will continue to grow while using and protecting its historic townscape.

Handmade Soba Hyakujo originally a fishing gear store

There are many old signs on the buildings on Taisho-Roman Street.
The building in front is the Manita House.

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