Meiji-mura Tokyo Station Security Police Box: A Taisho-Era Koban Designed in Tatsuno Style
Standing quietly along a recreated Meiji-era street at the open-air Museum Meiji-mura in Inuyama, Aichi, the Tokyo Station Security Police Box (Tōkyō-eki Keibi Junsa Hashutsusho) is a small but extraordinary survivor from the dawn of modern Tokyo. Built in 1914 to greet travelers arriving at the brand-new Tokyo Station, this octagonal brick-clad koban once watched over emperors, ambassadors, and millions of ordinary commuters passing through the capital's grandest gateway. Today, after a careful relocation to the rolling hills of Aichi, it offers international visitors an intimate look at the refined civic architecture of early-twentieth-century Japan.
Historical Background
Tokyo Station opened in December 1914 as the symbolic front door of the imperial capital. Designed by the celebrated architect Tatsuno Kingo, the red-brick station became an instant landmark of Japan's modernization. To match the dignity of this new gateway, a small police box was constructed in front of the station's Marunouchi south exit at the same time as the main building's completion.
Because Tokyo Station hosted countless ceremonial arrivals and departures of dignitaries, including the Emperor's regional tours and visits by foreign delegations, this single police box was no ordinary neighborhood koban. At the height of its operation, as many as twelve police officers were stationed inside its compact walls to manage security for the ceremonial throngs of the capital.
For over half a century the police box served the heart of Tokyo. When the area around the station was redeveloped in the postwar years, it was carefully dismantled and relocated in 1972 to Museum Meiji-mura, where it has been preserved as a working specimen of early-twentieth-century civic architecture.
Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property
On February 17, 2004, the building was officially registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Buildings) by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Several factors led to this recognition.
First, the police box is a rare and well-preserved example of what is known as the "Tatsuno style" applied to a small public building. The wider Tatsuno style — named after Tatsuno Kingo — combined red-brick walls with horizontal bands of white stone or tile, and the same vocabulary that defined Tokyo Station was deliberately applied here at miniature scale to harmonize with the station building.
Second, the structure embodies an important moment in Japanese construction history. Rather than load-bearing brick masonry, it is built of reinforced concrete with a decorative brick veneer applied to the surface — a technique that was just beginning to be used in Japan at the time and that anticipated the country's broader transition to modern structural engineering.
Third, the building's small octagonal plan, semicircular pediment, copper roof, and cast-iron decorative brackets together represent a confident fusion of Western classical motifs with newly emerging Art Nouveau accents, capturing the aesthetic sensibility of Taisho-era Japan in a single compact form.
Architectural Highlights
For visitors, the police box rewards close looking. Each side of the structure tells a small story about late-Meiji and early-Taisho design.
An Octagonal Plan with Chamfered Corners
The footprint is an octagon created by cutting the corners of a square, giving the building eight faces and a sense of presence in every direction — appropriate for a structure that originally stood in an open plaza visible from many angles.
Pyramidal Copper Roof with a Ventilation Lantern
Topping the building is a graceful pyramidal (hōgyō) roof clad in copper plate, crowned by a small lantern-shaped tower that doubles as a ventilation outlet. (The current copper roof was restored at the time of the 1972 relocation; in its later Tokyo years the building had been re-roofed with cement tiles.)
The Semicircular Pediment
Above the main entrance, a half-round pediment is supported by a fan of carved console brackets arranged radially. This is a classical Western motif rendered in miniature — an unmistakable echo of the much larger pediments of Tatsuno Kingo's Tokyo Station.
Brick Veneer over Reinforced Concrete
The walls are reinforced concrete dressed in a skin of red decorative brick, with a continuous white band running around the building at waist height. This combination of materials, inspired by Tatsuno's work, gives the small structure the same warm, layered character as its monumental neighbor once did.
Art Nouveau Touches
Look closely at the transom above the entrance and the small canopies over the double-hung sash windows. The decorative grille of the transom uses flowing Art Nouveau motifs, while the canopies are supported by elegantly curved consoles. These touches show how Japanese architects of the 1910s were already absorbing the latest European design currents into very small civic projects.
The Interior
Inside, the layout is simple but telling: a front room with a service counter facing the entrance, and a back room laid with tatami mats where officers could rest between duties. A side door provided a discreet service entrance, allowing the public to be received at the front while staff moved freely behind.
Visitor Information
The police box stands at Lot 60 in Block 5 (5-chōme) of Museum Meiji-mura. Visitors can walk right up to it, look in through the windows, and admire the details of its facade from every angle. Because it sits along a relaxed walking route past other Meiji and Taisho buildings, it makes a natural photo stop on a longer tour of the museum.
Museum Meiji-mura itself is one of Japan's largest open-air architectural museums, spreading across roughly one million square meters of hillside on the shore of Lake Iruka. The site preserves more than sixty buildings rescued from across Japan and even overseas, including national Important Cultural Properties such as the central entrance of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel and the former St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. A vintage steam locomotive and a Kyoto streetcar still run inside the village, allowing guests to ride through the past in the most literal sense.
Opening hours and seasonal schedules vary throughout the year, and admission charges may change from time to time, so visitors are encouraged to consult the official website before traveling.
Around the Area
Inuyama, the small castle town that hosts Meiji-mura, is one of Aichi's most rewarding day-trip destinations. Within roughly thirty minutes of the museum you can reach:
- Inuyama Castle — one of only twelve surviving original castle keeps in Japan and a designated National Treasure, perched on a bluff above the Kiso River.
- The Inuyama Castle town — a charming preserved street of traditional shops, sweets, and sake breweries leading up to the castle gate.
- Lake Iruka — a large irrigation reservoir adjoining Meiji-mura, popular for cherry blossom viewing in spring and seasonal walks.
- Little World Museum of Man — another open-air museum operated by the same foundation, featuring full-scale houses gathered from around the world.
- Japan Monkey Park — a family-friendly amusement park and primate research center close to Meiji-mura.
Combined, these sites make a one- or two-night stay in Inuyama a satisfying alternative to busier itineraries based purely in Nagoya or Kyoto.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Meijimura Tokyo Station Security Police Station
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- Was this really the police box for Tokyo Station?
- Yes. It was built in 1914 in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi south exit at the same time as the main station building, and served as the security police box for the station and its plaza until it was dismantled and relocated to Meiji-mura in 1972.
- Why does it look so much like Tokyo Station itself?
- The architects deliberately echoed the design vocabulary of Tatsuno Kingo's Tokyo Station — red brick walls with white horizontal bands, classical pediments, and decorative brackets — so that the small police box would visually harmonize with its monumental neighbor.
- Is the building actually made of brick?
- The structural frame is reinforced concrete, with a decorative red brick veneer applied to the exterior. This combination was a relatively new technique in Japan at the time and represents an important step in the country's adoption of modern construction methods.
- Can I go inside?
- Visitors can view the interior through the windows and entrance to appreciate the original layout, which features a service counter at the front and a small tatami room at the back. Please consult Museum Meiji-mura's on-site signage for any seasonal access details.
- How long should I plan to spend at Meiji-mura?
- The museum grounds are very large, with more than sixty buildings spread across a hillside. A focused visit centered on the most important properties takes around three to four hours, while a thorough exploration easily fills a full day.
Basic Information
| Name | Meiji-mura Tokyo Station Security Police Box (Tōkyō-eki Keibi Junsa Hashutsusho) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Buildings), Agency for Cultural Affairs |
| Date of Registration | February 17, 2004 |
| Year Built | c. 1914 (Taisho 3) |
| Year Relocated | 1972 (relocated to Museum Meiji-mura) |
| Original Location | Marunouchi south plaza, Tokyo Station, Tokyo |
| Structure | Reinforced concrete, single-story, copper-plate roof, with red brick veneer |
| Building Area | Approximately 45 m² |
| Number of Buildings | 1 |
| Owner | Meiji-mura Foundation (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation) |
| Current Location | Within Museum Meiji-mura, 1 Uchiyama, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
References
- Meiji-mura Tokyo Station Security Police Box — Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/139648
- National Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003878
- Tokyo Station Security Police Box — Aichi Prefecture Cultural Property Navigation
- https://www.pref.aichi.jp/kyoiku/bunka/bunkazainavi/yukei/kenzoubutu/kunitouroku/1131.html
- Tokyo Station Security Police Box — Museum Meiji-mura Official Site
- https://www.meijimura.com/sight/東京駅警備巡査派出所/
- Museum Meiji-mura — Official Website
- https://www.meijimura.com/
Last verified: 2026.04.28