A Western-Style Clinic in the Kaseda Samurai Quarter
The Former Ajisaka Clinic (旧鯵坂医院) is a single-storey timber clinic of the early Showa period in Takeda, Kaseda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, which in 2009 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 160 square metres; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Japan Heritage portal (Kagoshima Prefecture) says it was built as a clinic by Ajisaka Shigehiko in the early Showa period.
Structure
According to the Agency, it stands in the middle of a plot west of the old road. A gabled east-west main block has lower wings to east and west, a hipped section to the north and a lean-to to the south, giving a varied roofline.
The walls are clapboarded and the eaves carried on decorative brackets.
What to Look For
The Agency describes it as a Western-style clinic in an area where irrigation channels and stone walls survive, and the Japan Heritage portal notes that the stone wall from the time remains.
A Showa-era Western-style clinic blending into the samurai quarter of Kaseda is the appeal here. It forms part of the Japan Heritage story of the Satsuma samurai towns.
Visiting the Former Ajisaka Clinic
No official information on visiting conditions could be found. The exterior can be seen from the old road.
Enquiries go to the Minamisatsuma City board of education.
Q&A
- When was the Former Ajisaka Clinic built?
- In the early Showa period.
- Who built it?
- Ajisaka Shigehiko, according to the Japan Heritage portal.
- What is special about its roof?
- A gabled main block combined with lower wings, a hipped section and a lean-to.
- How is 鯵坂 read?
- Ajisaka.
- Where is the Former Ajisaka Clinic?
- On the old road in the Kaseda samurai quarter, Minamisatsuma City.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ajisaka Clinic (旧鯵坂医院) |
|---|---|
| Location | 18278 Takeda, Kaseda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/8/7 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 160 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the old road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Ajisaka Clinic (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007819
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Ajisaka Clinic (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/192540
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Heritage: Former Ajisaka Clinic (Japanese)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4678/
Last verified: 2026.09.28