The Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
The Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building (門司ゴルフ倶楽部クラブハウス南棟, Minami-tō) is the main block of the clubhouse at Moji Golf Club in Kishi, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture; designed by the office of Antonin Raymond and built in 1960, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2014. It is a 2-storey reinforced concrete building with a sheet-iron roof and a building area of 1257 square meters, measuring 55 meters by 22 meters according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
The South Building holds everything a visiting golfer passes through: the entrance, locker rooms, lounge and dining room, along with the offices that run the course. The service block known as the North Building stands parallel to it on the north side, joined to it at the west end.
Why the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building Was Registered
The Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building is registration number 40-0111, listed as a structure that serves as a model of design. The national description points to three things: an open elevation that stresses the horizontal, a large interior space framed by exposed concrete, and a roof truss of logs set on top. It calls the building modernist architecture that shows the so-called Raymond style at its fullest.
The registration notes published by the club go into the structure. The frame is reinforced concrete, with the columns expressed on the outside, and a timber roof frame rests on the upper-floor columns. Columns and beams are left as bare, board-marked concrete, and the interior linings are plywood and Japanese cedar boards. Nothing is plastered over; the concrete itself is the finish.
Concrete below, logs and paper screens above. That pairing of a Western structural system with Japanese timber craft is the core of the case for the building.
What to Look For in the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
A broad staircase rises straight ahead of the entrance lobby to the upper floor, where the lounge and dining room open up. The Building and Equipment Long-life Cycle Association (BELCA) notes in its review that the two are not divided by a wall and that the lounge area is larger than the dining area, in the British manner. The single sweep of this room is the first thing to take in at the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building.
The ceiling follows the slope of the roof frame, so the log trusses hang in full view high overhead. According to BELCA, the cedar logs were chosen on a trip to Hita in Oita Prefecture, and by 1999 they had never been re-tightened yet showed no serious warping. The roof itself is a sandwich of exposed sheathing boards, insulation board and a second layer of sheathing under galvanized iron sheet.
Where the main roof meets the lower lean-to roof runs a row of clerestory windows fitted with shoji screens faced in washi paper. They soften the daylight that falls across the lounge and dining room.
At the center of the room stands a large fireplace with a hood suspended from the ceiling, a feature Kitakyushu City describes as common in Raymond's buildings. The chandeliers were designed by his wife, Noémi Raymond, and BELCA's review also recalls white tables and chairs of her design set out on the balcony.
Little has changed since 1960. The alterations BELCA lists are a competition room added on the balcony at the gable end, a change of fuel for the hot-water heating, with oil replacing coal, and air conditioning in a few rooms; the rest was described as original.
Seeing the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
The Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building is a working clubhouse, and no public opening or tour is announced (as of October 2026). The lounge, dining room and fireplace can be seen only by people playing the course with a member or on a member's introduction.
Once inside, pause partway up the main staircase, where the log ceiling of the upper floor comes into view. Upstairs, look at the point where the roof frame meets the shoji clerestory to see how concrete and timber are joined. The club publishes no rules on photography, so ask before taking pictures indoors. Directions and booking conditions are on the Moji Golf Club page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building built, and who designed it?
- It was built in 1960 to a design by Antonin Raymond's firm, Raymond Architectural Design Office, with Takenaka Corporation as the builder. The Japan Institute of Architects gives the completion date as June 1960.
- Why is the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 7, 2014, as a structure that serves as a model of design, under number 40-0111. Its exposed concrete frame topped by log roof trusses is considered a clear expression of Raymond's style.
- How large is the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building?
- It is a 2-storey reinforced concrete building with a sheet-iron roof, 55 meters long and 22 meters deep, with a building area of 1257 square meters.
- Where is the fireplace in the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building?
- It stands at the center of the upper-floor space shared by the lounge and dining room, under a large hood that hangs from the ceiling.
- Can I visit the Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building?
- There is no public opening. Entry is for people using the golf course with a member or on a member's introduction. Ask the club about photography.
Basic Information
| Name | Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building (門司ゴルフ倶楽部クラブハウス南棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 175-10 Hiebata, Kishi, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 7, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey reinforced concrete building, sheet-iron roof, building area 1257 square meters |
| Owner | Moji Golf Club Incorporated Association |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (golf course users accompanied or introduced by a member only) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010236
- Cultural Heritage Online: Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/288079
- Kitakyushu City: Moji Golf Club Clubhouse South Building (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp/contents/26501076.html
- Moji Golf Club official site: History of the Clubhouse (Japanese)
- https://www.mojigolf.co.jp/legacy/
- Moji Golf Club official site: Clubhouse (Japanese)
- https://www.mojigolf.co.jp/facility/
- BELCA: 8th BELCA Award (FY1998), Long Life Category, Moji Golf Club Clubhouse (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.belca.or.jp/fwp/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/prize8-3.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.11
