Former Owada Bank Head Office Building

Discovering the Former Owada Bank Head Office Building in Tsuruga

Standing quietly on a stone-paved street in the heart of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, the Former Owada Bank Head Office Building (旧大和田銀行本店社屋) is a fascinating relic of Japan's Meiji-era commercial architecture. Built in 1901, this wooden two-story structure served as the original headquarters of the Owada Bank, founded by the celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist Shōshichi Ōwada II. Today it functions as the annex of the Minato Tsuruga Yama Kaikan (Float Museum) and holds the distinction of being both a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property and a constituent cultural property of the Japan Heritage story "Kitamae-bune: An Extraordinary Space Woven by the Dreams of Men Who Conquered the Rough Seas."

Historical Background

The Owada Bank was established in 1892 by Shōshichi Ōwada II, a prominent businessman from Tsuruga who played a pivotal role in the economic development of the port town during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. When the bank was first founded, Ōwada operated it as a private enterprise from this very location in the Aioi-chō district, which was then part of the bustling commercial center of Tsuruga.

Tsuruga Port had long served as a gateway for trade across the Sea of Japan. Following its official designation as an open port in 1899, it became a vital node in international commerce, connecting Japan with Vladivostok, Russia, and later with the Korean Peninsula. The Owada Bank grew alongside the port's prosperity, eventually expanding to open branches in Osaka, Fukui, and Takefu. In 1918, the bank was reorganized as a joint-stock company.

As the bank expanded, a grand new headquarters — the building now known as the Tsuruga Municipal Museum and designated as an Important Cultural Property — was constructed in 1927. After that, this original building served as the offices of Ōwada Shōten and, in the postwar period, Komori Shōji. Recognizing its historical importance, Tsuruga City purchased the building in 1996 and repurposed it as the annex of the Minato Tsuruga Yama Kaikan.

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

The Former Owada Bank Head Office Building was registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property (建造物) on February 26, 2021. It is valued for several reasons. As a surviving example of a Meiji-era regional bank headquarters, the building provides tangible evidence of the economic development that accompanied Tsuruga's rise as an international port. The structure also contributes significantly to the historic streetscape of the Aioi-chō district, where it has stood for well over a century.

Additionally, the building is recognized as a constituent cultural property of the Japan Heritage story "Kitamae-bune: An Extraordinary Space Woven by the Dreams of Men Who Conquered the Rough Seas," which celebrates the merchant ships that once plied the trade routes along the Sea of Japan coast and the lasting cultural legacy of the port towns they connected.

Architectural Highlights

The building is a wooden two-story structure with a gabled (kirizuma-zukuri) tile roof in the hirairi style, with a total building area of approximately 248 square meters. One of its most distinctive features is the parapet along the front façade, which creates the impression of a flat roof — a design choice intended to give the building a Western-style appearance. The front elevation is punctuated by a row of tall, narrow rectangular windows that reinforce this Western aesthetic.

The interior layout reflects the building's original function as a bank. The front section was used as the customer lobby and business office, with reception rooms arranged on either side. Behind these Western-style spaces, traditional Japanese-style rooms (washitsu) extend toward the rear, creating a distinctive Japanese–Western hybrid (wayō secchū) arrangement that was characteristic of commercial architecture during the Meiji period.

Over the years, the building underwent several renovations to accommodate the evolving needs of the banking business, and these changes are visible in the transition from Western-influenced spaces at the front to the traditional machiya-style construction preserved in the rear. The building also once had an associated storehouse (dozō) bearing a ridgepole inscription dated to 1675, although this structure no longer survives.

What to See Today

As the annex of the Minato Tsuruga Yama Kaikan, the building now houses a variety of exhibits related to Tsuruga's rich history. Visitors can explore displays about the Owada Bank and the Kitamae-bune trade, including a detailed model of a Kitamae-bune merchant ship. There is also a permanent exhibition dedicated to Ōtani Yoshitsugu, the Sengoku-period lord of Tsuruga Castle, featuring artifacts and materials that shed light on his governance and the flourishing commerce of the port during the Toyotomi era.

The building itself is a highlight. Standing inside, visitors can appreciate the contrast between the Western-influenced front rooms and the traditional Japanese spaces at the rear, gaining a sense of how Meiji-era merchants adapted Western aesthetics while maintaining their cultural roots. The atmospheric streetscape of Aioi-chō, with its stone-paved road and the imposing Tsuruga Municipal Museum just next door, makes the setting all the more evocative.

Visitor Information

The Former Owada Bank Head Office Building is accessible as part of a visit to the Minato Tsuruga Yama Kaikan. The main hall and annex are open from 10:00 to 17:00. The facility is closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), the day after national holidays, and during the year-end and New Year period. Admission to the Yama Kaikan, including the annex, is 300 yen for adults (250 yen for groups of 20 or more). High school students and younger visitors enter free of charge. A combined ticket for both the Yama Kaikan and the adjacent Tsuruga Municipal Museum is available for 500 yen.

From JR Tsuruga Station, visitors can take the "Gurutto Tsuruga" sightseeing loop bus or a community bus to reach the Aioi-chō area. By car, the location is approximately 10 minutes from the Tsuruga Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway. Limited parking is available nearby.

Nearby Attractions

The Former Owada Bank Head Office Building is ideally situated for exploring the historic heart of Tsuruga. The Tsuruga Municipal Museum (former Owada Bank second headquarters), an Important Cultural Property just steps away, showcases the grand architecture of the 1927 bank building with its Doric and Ionic columns, marble staircases, and Hokuriku's first elevator. Kehi Shrine (氣比神宮), one of Hokuriku's most revered Shinto shrines, is a short walk to the east and features one of Japan's three great wooden torii gates. The Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1905, has been renovated into a popular facility with a large-scale diorama of historic Tsuruga and a restaurant. The Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum (敦賀ムゼウム) nearby tells the moving story of Polish orphans and Jewish refugees who arrived at Tsuruga Port in the 1920s and 1940s. For nature lovers, Kehi no Matsubara, one of Japan's three great pine groves, offers a beautiful stretch of white-sand beach framed by thousands of pine trees along Tsuruga Bay.