Taishō
Ibaraki · 大正Browse Ibaraki’s cultural heritage from the Taishō period (1912 – 1926). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
The Ichiki Dental Clinic in Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a two-story wooden building with wire-mesh concrete finishing constructed in 1922. Rebuilt with fire prevention in mind after a devastating fire from a neighboring property, it stands as one of Japan's few surviving examples of this rare construction technique. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 1999, the clinic blends a Western exterior with traditional Japanese interiors, offering a fascinating glimpse into Taisho-era architectural culture.
Discover the Kami Power Plant Intake in Hitachi-Ōta, Ibaraki Prefecture — a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1919. Explore this Taishō-era hydroelectric facility on the Satogawa River.
Discover the Kami Power Station Tailrace and Spillway, a registered tangible cultural property built in 1919. This Taisho-era hydroelectric waterway in Hitachiota, Ibaraki showcases exquisite stone masonry and a segmental arch bridge still standing after a century.
Discover the Kami Power Station Main Building, a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Hitachiota, Ibaraki. Built in 1919, this operational hydroelectric facility features a Swiss-made Francis turbine and Taisho-era wooden architecture along the Satogawa River.
Tucked into the mountains of northern Ibaraki Prefecture, the Former Asakawa Elementary School Building No. 1 is a roughly 39-meter-long wooden schoolhouse built in 1913. Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2018, it is a beautifully preserved example of the single-corridor school architecture once common in rural Japan. Discover this quiet rural heritage site in Daigo Town alongside attractions such as the spectacular Fukuroda Falls.
Discover the Former Kyōrakukan (Hitachi Budōkan) in Hitachi City, Ibaraki. This striking 1917 wooden theater was built by the Hitachi Mine in the style of Tokyo's Kabukiza and is now a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.
The Former Daigo Bank Head Office in Daigo, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1917. Featuring Renaissance-inspired columns and a distinctive corner dome, this elegant wooden bank building now serves as the Machikado Bijutsukan gallery. A must-visit on any heritage walk through the Oku-Kuji area, home to the famous Fukuroda Falls.
Built in 1916 in the central shopping street of Daigo Town, Ibaraki, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property combines a two-story gabled shop section with a single-story hipped residential wing. Today it operates as daigo cafe, just a three-minute walk from Hitachi-Daigo Station.
Built in 1912 in the heart of Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, the Daigo Cafe Dozo is a two-story earthen storehouse registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Highlights include the striking contrast between its white and black plaster, and the namako-kabe lattice tiling along its gable skirts — both products of skilled traditional craftsmanship. Today the dozo serves as part of the beloved 'daigo cafe,' where visitors can enjoy dishes featuring Okukuji apples, wasabi, and shamo chicken. Combined with attractions such as Fukuroda Falls, it offers an unforgettable taste of the history and food culture of the Okukuji region.
The Tsukamoto Family Residence Miseigura is a wooden single-story shop-storehouse built in the mid-Taisho era, located in the historic merchant town of Makabe in Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property alongside the family's gate, main house, and earthen storehouse, it forms one of the most evocative streetscapes of preserved early-20th-century Japan.
The Nakamura main house in Makabe, Sakuragawa, is the 1913 living wing behind a merchant's storefront warehouse, a refined timber home raised by a local carpenter.
The Nakamura storefront warehouse in Makabe, Sakuragawa, is a 1913 two-story misegura, its open lower front facing the street below a clapboard-clad upper floor.
Nisui Kaikan, the former Mitsukaido Town Hall in Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1913. This charming pseudo-Western wooden building cleverly appears two-storied despite being single-story, blending Japanese craftsmanship with Western aesthetics. Discover this architectural gem that reflects the prosperity of a Taisho-era river-trading town.
The Numajiri row building in Kaneda, Tsukuba, is a two-story early-Taisho structure (1912-1925), a workshop below and a silkworm room above, now used as a shop.
Discover the Megane Bridge in Takahagi, Ibaraki — a reinforced-concrete double-arch aqueduct built in 1918 that still carries water for hydroelectric power. A Registered Tangible Cultural Property and JSCE Heritage of Civil Engineering set amid the scenic Hananuki Gorge.
The brick chimney of the Buyu brewery in Yuki, Ibaraki. A Taisho-era structure about 11 metres tall, linked underground to the kettle room. A Registered Property.
The Murai Brewery Stone Warehouse, registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2000, is a remarkable Taishō-era stone building (1912–1925) in the heart of Makabe, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Combining a timber king-post truss frame with Ōya stone exterior walls, this 21.6-meter-long structure remains an active part of one of Japan's oldest sake breweries, founded in the late 17th century and producing the renowned 'Kōmei' label.