Kumamoto's First Rental Office Building
Hayano Building (早野ビル) is a reinforced-concrete office building of 1924 in Renpeicho, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 20, 1996 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a reinforced-concrete building of three storeys, partly four, with a building area of 208 square metres; registration number 43-0001.
Kumamoto's First Office Building for Rent
The Hayano Building is a reinforced-concrete office building, said to have been the first rental office building in Kumamoto (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Distinctive ornament marks the windows running through the second and third floors, the windows of the fourth floor and the tower, and the pilasters of the outer walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes that the ornament of its windows and pilasters shows well the character of early office buildings, and registered it as a model of design. Kumamoto City lists it among the registered cultural properties of the city.
What to Look For
Look for the windows running through two floors and the ornament round the fourth-floor and tower windows (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Hayano Tatemono, a partnership company (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found. Kumamoto City recorded a seismic intensity of upper 6 in the earthquake of July 28, 2026 (Weathernews), and no official information on the building's condition since then was found.
Q&A
- When was the Hayano Building built?
- In 1924 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of building is it?
- A concrete office block said to be Kumamoto's first rental office building.
- What should I look for?
- The ornament round the windows and on the pilasters.
- Where is it?
- In Renpeicho, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
- When was Hayano Building registered?
- On December 20, 1996 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hayano Building (早野ビル) |
|---|---|
| Location | 45 Renpeicho, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1996/12/20 (Heisei 8) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, three storeys (partly four), 208 m² |
| Owner | Hayano Tatemono Gomei Kaisha |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Hayano Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000108
- Registered cultural properties of Kumamoto City (Kumamoto City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kiji00361897/index.html
- 2026 Kumamoto earthquake: damage in Yatsushiro, Hikawa, Uki and elsewhere (Weathernews, July 28, 2026, Japanese)
- https://weathernews.jp/news/202607/280351/
Last verified: 2026.10.21