A Corner Bakery in Joge
The Former Katano Bakery (旧片野製パン所) is a timber Western-style shop of one storey with a two-storey part, built in 1934 on a corner of the main street of Joge-cho, Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Fuchu City).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records tiled and metal roofs and a building area of 23 square metres, renovated in 2005; registration number 34-0255. Fuchu City notes that it is privately owned.
Joge and Its Bakery
According to the Fuchu City Tourism Association, Joge was once a shogunate domain and a post town on the Sekishu road with a magistrate's office, flourishing as a centre of trade and finance. White-walled houses with lattice doors still line its main street.
Joge Tenryo Tourism says the Former Katano Bakery is a bakery of great character; though now closed, its owner still bakes and sells bread there during the Hina doll festival.
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Former Katano Bakery was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its rich decoration of pilasters, cornice and reliefs above the openings, making it a focal point of the old road.
What to Look For
Fuchu City records a long, narrow building eight bays wide and two deep, the whole ground floor a shop and the upper floor a tatami room with an alcove. The corner end rises to two storeys, and the east and south walls are rendered in mortar, with arched windows below and tall windows above (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Fuchu City).
The walls of the Former Katano Bakery are richly finished with pilasters, a cornice, mouldings around the openings and reliefs (Fuchu City).
Visiting
According to Fuchu City, the exterior of the Former Katano Bakery can be viewed at any time. It is about 600 metres east of Joge Station on the JR Fukuen Line; there is no parking (Joge Tenryo Tourism).
Enquiries go to the cultural properties section of the Fuchu City Board of Education (0847-44-9024).
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1934 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does it look like?
- A mortar-rendered Western-style front with arched windows below, tall windows above, pilasters and reliefs (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Fuchu City).
- Is it still a bakery?
- It is closed, but bread is sold there during the Hina doll festival (Joge Tenryo Tourism).
- Can visitors see it?
- The exterior can be viewed at any time (Fuchu City).
- When was the Former Katano Bakery registered?
- On November 2, 2018.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Katano Bakery (旧片野製パン所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1090-3 Okina, Joge, Joge-cho, Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/11/02 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey partly 2 storeys, tiled and metal roofs, building area 23 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable at any time |
References
- Former Katano Bakery (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012643
- Former Katano Bakery (Fuchu City)
- https://www.city.fuchu.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/kyoiku_iinkai/kyoikuseisakuka/bingokokufu/shinobunkazai/kunitouroku_bunkazai/9270.html
- Katano Bakery (Joge Tenryo Tourism)
- https://jogetenryo.com/meguru/sight/walking/427/
- White-Walled Streets (Fuchu City Tourism Association)
- https://fuchu-kanko.jp/recommended/recommended-821/
Last verified: 2026.10.11