A Taisho-Era Town Office
The Nisui Kaikan (Former Mitsukaido Town Office) (二水会館（旧水海道町役場）) is a town office building of 1913 in Mitsukaido Tenmancho, Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 12, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 109 square metres; registration number 08-0003.
A Single-Storey Office that Looks Like Two
The Nisui Kaikan was built as the town office of the former town of Mitsukaido; it is a single-storey timber building, yet its exterior is made to look like two storeys (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The composition is symmetrical.
The Agency records the master carpenter who designed it and the contractor who built it. In 1984 it was moved to its present site and kept as an annex of the library (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency calls it a good example of a local government building of the early Taisho era, whose symmetrical composition reflects its time, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the symmetrical front and the way a single-storey building is made to read as two storeys (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
Since its move in 1984 it has been kept as an annex of the library (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on opening times was found.
Q&A
- When was the Nisui Kaikan built?
- In 1913 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it originally?
- The town office of the former town of Mitsukaido.
- What should I look for?
- The symmetrical front and a single storey made to look like two.
- Has it been moved?
- Yes, in 1984, to serve as an annex of the library.
- When was the Nisui Kaikan (Former Mitsukaido Town Office) registered?
- On December 12, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nisui Kaikan (Former Mitsukaido Town Office) (二水会館（旧水海道町役場）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1606 Mitsukaido Tenmancho, Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/12/12 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 109 m² |
| Owner | Mitsukaido City (as recorded by the Agency) |
| Public Access | Library annex (no official information on hours) |
References
- Nisui Kaikan (Former Mitsukaido Town Office) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000383
Last verified: 2026.10.19