The Home of Nagoya's Export Ceramics Trade
The Nagoya Ceramic Hall (名古屋陶磁器会館) is an office building put up in 1932 in Tokugawa, Higashi Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 23, 2008, under registration number 23-0309.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as reinforced concrete with part steel frame, three storeys, with a building area of 389 square metres; the third floor was added in steel frame in 1946. It stands about 2 kilometres east of Nagoya Castle and is owned by the Nagoya Ceramic Hall Foundation.
Why It Was Registered
The hall was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. According to the Agency, it is a reinforced concrete building with a 24-metre frontage, clad in scratch tiles and decorated throughout with geometric motifs, and is loved as a symbol of the growth of Nagoya's ceramics industry.
The Nagoya Ceramic Hall explains that from the late Meiji to the early Showa period Nagoya was one of Japan's two largest ceramics producers and dominated exports. Factories that painted blanks from Seto and Mino for export gathered in what are now Higashi and Kita wards, and the hall preserves the memory of that trade.
What to Look For
Look at the scratch-tile facade and the geometric motifs scattered across it, early Showa office ornament well suited to the headquarters of a ceramics trade.
The ground-floor gallery displays ceramics exported from Nagoya, and a sales corner offers export-style wares with Nagoya painting in limited quantities (Nagoya Ceramic Hall).
Visiting the Hall
According to the Nagoya Ceramic Hall, it is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), closed on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and from December 29 to January 4, with free admission. There is free parking for two visitors' cars.
It is 20 minutes on foot northeast of Takaoka Station on the Sakura-dori subway line, or 15 minutes southwest of Morishita Station on the Meitetsu Seto Line. The address is 1-1003 Tokugawa, Higashi Ward, Nagoya.
Q&A
- When was the Nagoya Ceramic Hall built?
- In 1932, with the third floor added in 1946.
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- On October 23, 2008, as registration number 23-0309.
- What is distinctive about its exterior?
- Scratch-tile cladding with geometric motifs throughout.
- Why is there a ceramics hall in Nagoya?
- Nagoya was a leading centre of export ceramics from the late Meiji to the early Showa period, and the hall is a symbol of that industry.
- When is the hall open?
- Weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on weekends and holidays; admission is free.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagoya Ceramic Hall (名古屋陶磁器会館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1003 Tokugawa, Higashi Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/10/23 (Heisei 20), registration no. 23-0309 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete with part steel frame, 3 storeys, building area 389 square metres |
| Owner | Nagoya Ceramic Hall Foundation |
| Public Access | Open weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (free) |
References
- 名古屋陶磁器会館 (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007358
- Visitor information (Nagoya Ceramic Hall)
- https://nagoya-toujikikaikan.org/guide/
- History of Nagoya ceramics (Nagoya Ceramic Hall)
- https://nagoya-toujikikaikan.org/history/
- Access (Nagoya Ceramic Hall)
- https://nagoya-toujikikaikan.org/access/
Last verified: 2026.10.05