A Meiji Photo Studio by the River
The Tomishige Photo Studio (冨重写真所) is a Meiji-era photo studio with its studio room of the early Meiji era in Shinmachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 27, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 138 square metres; registration number 43-0078.
A Studio Lit from a Slanted Roof
The Tomishige Photo Studio is a two-storey timber building seven bays by three, gabled and pantiled, with clapboarded walls, standing at the south-east of its site and facing west onto the street (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
On the east side, facing the river, a railed veranda with a pent roof runs along the ground floor, and inside survives a studio lit by a slanted glazed roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes that it is a valuable survivor of a Meiji photo studio with its slanted-roof studio intact, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the studio with its slanted glazed roof and the railed veranda on the river side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by the Tomishige photo studio business (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was the studio built?
- In the early Meiji era (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is special about it?
- It keeps a studio lit by a slanted glazed roof.
- What faces the river?
- A railed veranda with a pent roof on the ground floor.
- Where is it?
- In Shinmachi, Kumamoto, beside the river.
- When was the Tomishige Photo Studio registered?
- On March 27, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tomishige Photo Studio (冨重写真所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-8-5 Shinmachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/27 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 138 m² |
| Owner | Tomishige photo studio |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Tomishige Photo Studio (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005513
Last verified: 2026.10.19