Former Mie Prefectural Office Building: A Survivor from the Dawn of Modern Japan
Tucked into the rolling hills of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture, beside the tranquil waters of Iruka Pond, stands a building that no longer has any peers. The Former Mie Prefectural Office Building (旧三重県庁舎) is the only surviving prefectural office hall from the early Meiji era—a stately 54-meter-wide structure that once governed Mie Prefecture and welcomed Emperor Meiji himself. Today it serves as one of the centerpiece buildings of the open-air Meiji Mura Museum, where visitors can step inside, walk its colonnaded verandas, and experience first-hand how Japan's regional administrators reimagined themselves through architecture during one of history's most dramatic national transformations.
The Building's Story: From Tsu City to Meiji Mura
In the late 1870s, Japan was in the midst of an extraordinary metamorphosis. The Meiji government had abolished the feudal domains in 1871, creating a new prefectural system, and the Home Ministry, established in 1873, was rapidly building out modern provincial administration. Mie Prefecture's first governor (kenrei), Iwamura Sadataka, decided that this new era demanded a new kind of prefectural seat—one that would visibly embody Japan's commitment to modernization.
Construction planning began in 1877, and the new building was completed in December 1879 in the city of Tsu. It cost the prefecture 19,883 yen, 43 sen and 1 rin—a remarkable sum at the time—and the main hall alone covered roughly 241.5 tsubo (about 800 square meters). Just a few months after its completion, in 1880, Emperor Meiji himself visited the building during his imperial progress through the region.
The building served continuously as Mie's seat of government for 85 years. When a new modern prefectural office was completed in Tsu in 1964, the historic structure was carefully dismantled and donated to Meiji Mura. Reconstruction at its new home in Inuyama was finished in 1966, and the building was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1968.
Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places this building in a unique category: it is the only surviving prefectural office hall from the early Meiji period, and as such it preserves architectural styles and techniques that no other building in Japan can demonstrate. Where the Meiji government's grand Tokyo headquarters and most regional offices have long since been demolished, the Former Mie Prefectural Office Building remains—an irreplaceable witness to how a young modern state physically expressed its authority.
Architectural historians describe it as "an outstanding example of the pseudo-Western (giyōfū) style produced by regional craftsmen in early Meiji." That phrase captures something special about the structure. Its designer, Shimizu Yohachi, was not a foreign-trained architect but a local Mie carpenter working in the prefecture's civil engineering office. Without direct training in Western architecture, he and his team studied photographs and visited new buildings, then translated what they saw into traditional Japanese carpentry. The result is a building that is simultaneously thoroughly modern in appearance and deeply rooted in Japanese building traditions.
Architectural Highlights
Approaching the building from the front, visitors encounter a façade that feels both monumental and welcoming. The main hall stretches 54 meters across, perfectly symmetrical around a central entrance with a projecting carriage porch. Two stories of broad verandas wrap the front of the building, providing both shade and a colonnaded rhythm that is reminiscent of Western neoclassical architecture as well as the colonial verandas seen in foreign settlements at Yokohama and Tsukiji. This layout was modeled on the Home Ministry building of 1876 in Tokyo, which set the template for early Meiji bureaucratic architecture.
A Hybrid of East and West
Look closely at the columns, plinths, and entablatures and you will see the influence of ancient Greek and Roman temples. Doorways and windows are crowned with semicircular and segmental arches, and the rooflines are punctuated by a gable bearing the imperial chrysanthemum crest. Yet the structure is entirely wooden, finished in white plaster, and roofed with traditional Japanese pantiles (sangawara). Even the polished "stone" door frames are local Iseki stone, hand-cut to match the architectural drawings.
One of the most charming details is a Japanese craft technique called mokume-nuri, in which carpenters painted woodwork to imitate finer wood grain. This technique appears throughout the doors and window frames—a creative solution that lent the building a refined Western appearance while using locally available materials.
The Second-Floor Showpiece Rooms
Upstairs, three rooms commanded the building's most prestigious functions: the former Upper Council chamber (jōkyoku), the Conference Hall, and the Governor's Office. These rooms feature coffered ceilings (gōtenjō) of exceptional dignity, and Meiji Mura has lovingly recreated their original curtains, furniture, and oil lamps. Stepping inside, visitors gain a vivid sense of the formal atmosphere in which Mie's governors received imperial envoys, drafted prefectural ordinances, and conducted the everyday business of building a modern Japan.
Visitor Information
The Former Mie Prefectural Office Building stands in District 1 of Meiji Mura, the area closest to the main entrance, making it one of the first historic buildings most visitors encounter. The Meiji Mura Museum itself is an extraordinary institution: a 100-hectare hillside park beside Iruka Pond that preserves over 60 buildings from the Meiji era, including 11 Important Cultural Properties, all relocated from across Japan and even from overseas Japanese communities. Visitors often spend an entire day exploring at a leisurely pace.
To reach the museum, take a Meitetsu line train to Inuyama Station, then board a Gifu Bus to the "Meijimura" stop (about 20 minutes). Direct highway buses also run from Nagoya Station and Sakae Station. By car, the museum is about 3 kilometers from Komaki-Higashi IC on the Chuo Expressway. Opening hours vary by season—generally 9:30 to 17:00 from spring through autumn, and 10:00 to 16:00 in winter—so checking the official website before your visit is recommended. While inside the building, please look closely at the restored interiors but bear in mind that the museum requests visitors refrain from eating or drinking inside the historic structures.
What to See Nearby
A visit to Meiji Mura pairs beautifully with the wider attractions of Inuyama. Within the museum grounds, you can also visit Saint John's Church, the original front entrance of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel, the Higashi Yamanashi District Office, and a working steam locomotive and Kyoto streetcar. Just outside the museum lies Iruka Pond, a vast Edo-period reservoir famous for fishing and lakeside walks.
A short drive away in central Inuyama stands Inuyama Castle, one of Japan's twelve original castles and a designated National Treasure, with sweeping views over the Kiso River. The picturesque castle town below offers traditional sweets, sake breweries, and the renowned Sannō Festival floats. The Little World Museum of Man, another open-air museum focusing on world cultures, is also nearby and provides a thoughtful complement to Meiji Mura's focus on Japan's modernization.
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Q&A
- Why is this building located in Aichi when its name says "Mie"?
- The building originally served as Mie Prefecture's main office in the city of Tsu from 1879 to 1964. When a new modern prefectural office was built, this historic structure was donated to the Meiji Mura open-air museum in Inuyama, Aichi, and carefully reconstructed there. So while the building remains "the Mie Prefectural Office," its preserved home is now in Aichi.
- Can visitors actually go inside the building?
- Yes. Visitors can walk through the ground-floor corridors and ascend to the second floor to see the recreated Governor's Office, Conference Hall, and former Upper Council chamber, all furnished with period-appropriate curtains, lamps, and furniture.
- What does "pseudo-Western" (giyōfū) architecture mean?
- It refers to buildings designed by Japanese craftsmen during the early Meiji period who imitated Western architectural styles using traditional Japanese building methods. They had no formal training in Western architecture, so they studied photographs and existing buildings, producing structures that blend Western forms with Japanese carpentry techniques. The Former Mie Prefectural Office is considered one of the finest examples.
- How long should I plan to stay at Meiji Mura?
- The museum spans roughly 100 hectares and contains over 60 historic buildings, so most visitors find that a half-day allows a focused visit while a full day is needed to explore thoroughly. The Former Mie Prefectural Office Building alone deserves at least 30 to 40 minutes.
- Is photography allowed inside the building?
- Personal photography is generally permitted inside the historic buildings at Meiji Mura, although flash and tripods may be restricted in some areas. Commercial photography requires advance permission from the museum.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Mie Prefectural Office Building (旧三重県庁舎) |
|---|---|
| Designation | National Important Cultural Property (designated April 25, 1968) |
| Original Construction | Completed December 1879 (Meiji 12), in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designer | Shimizu Yohachi (clerk-carpenter, Mie Prefectural Civil Engineering Section) |
| Builder | Itō Heizaemon, master carpenter of Nagoya |
| Style | Pseudo-Western (giyōfū) architecture; wooden two-story with plaster walls and tile roof |
| Dimensions | Frontage approximately 54 meters; main hall floor area approximately 241.5 tsubo (about 800 m²) |
| Relocation | Reconstructed at Meiji Mura in 1966 (Shōwa 41) |
| Owner | Meiji Mura Museum Foundation (公益財団法人明治村) |
| Address | 1 Aza Uchiyama, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture (within Meiji Mura, District 1) |
| Access | About 20 minutes by Gifu Bus from Meitetsu Inuyama Station; or direct highway bus from Nagoya Station |
| Hours | Vary by season; generally 9:30–17:00 (Mar–Jul, Sep–Oct), 10:00–17:00 (Aug), 9:30–16:00 (Nov), 10:00–16:00 (Dec–Feb) |
| Admission | Adults 2,500 yen; high school students 1,500 yen; elementary/junior high 700 yen; preschool free (rates may vary) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online — Former Mie Prefectural Office Building (文化遺産オンライン)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/122257
- Meiji Mura Museum — Mie Prefectural Office Building (博物館明治村 公式)
- https://www.meijimura.com/sight/三重県庁舎/
- Aichi Prefecture Cultural Properties Navigator — Former Mie Prefectural Office Building
- https://www.pref.aichi.jp/kyoiku/bunka/bunkazainavi/yukei/kenzoubutu/kunisitei/0055.html
- Mie Prefecture Cultural Affairs Division — Initial Prefectural Offices and Their Locations
- https://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/rekishi/kenshi/asp/Q_A/detail.asp?record=158
- Meiji Mura Museum — Visitor Guide and Access
- https://www.meijimura.com/guide/
Last verified: 2026.04.26