A 1935 Textile Merchant's Office in Kiryu
The Former Matsuoka Shoten Office (旧松岡商店事務所) is a single-storey timber commercial building of 1935 at Eiraku-cho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, comprising an office, a room for inspecting woven goods and a receiving area, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 10, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kiryu City).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records single-storey timber with a tiled roof and a building area of 190 square metres, registration number 10-0128.
A Shop in the Textile Town
According to Kiryu City, the north-south office and the east-west fabric inspection room meet at right angles at the south-east corner in an L-shape, with a storehouse set inside the angle and an east-west receiving area attached to the south. The inspection room was used for checking woven products.
A cast nameplate reading "Matsuoka Shoten, proprietor Terauchi Michiji" hangs to the right of the Former Matsuoka Shoten Office's entrance. A fire around 1960 burned the inside of the inspection room, but it only scorched the floor and walls and did not bring down the structure (Kiryu City).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Former Matsuoka Shoten Office was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its Western-looking shopfront in brown tiles, with relief decoration beside the windows and a round window.
What to Look For
Kiryu City records that the office is 12.94 by 6.29 metres under a hipped tiled roof, with brick-coloured tiles on the front and north walls. A central entrance is flanked by windows, with a floral mortar relief to its left, and the inspection room roof has skylights.
The receiving area is an earth-floored space entered directly from the street, with a tiled wing wall at the front and a distinctive round window. The hand-cranked roller shutters of the Former Matsuoka Shoten Office's entrance and receiving area are original (Kiryu City).
Visiting
The Former Matsuoka Shoten Office is at 6-7 Eiraku-cho, Kiryu City. No public opening information has been confirmed, so view it from the street.
See the group page Former Matsuoka Shoten (Kiryu) for the office and the storehouse on the same site.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Matsuoka Shoten Office
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Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1935 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kiryu City).
- What was the inspection room for?
- Checking woven textile products (Kiryu City).
- What does the exterior look like?
- A Western-style front in brick-coloured tiles with a floral relief and a round window (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kiryu City).
- What original fittings survive?
- Hand-cranked roller shutters at the entrance and receiving area (Kiryu City).
- When was the Former Matsuoka Shoten Office registered?
- On November 10, 2005.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Matsuoka Shoten Office (旧松岡商店事務所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-7 Eiraku-cho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 190 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database |
| Public Access | No public opening information; exterior only |
References
- Former Matsuoka Shoten Office (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004925
- Former Matsuoka Shoten Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004926
- Former Matsuoka Shoten Office and Other Buildings (Kiryu City)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1001993.html
Last verified: 2026.10.11
