Former Main Building of the Kyoto Prefectural Office

A Prefectural Office of 1904

The Former Main Building of the Kyoto Prefectural Office (京都府庁旧本館) is a full-scale Western building by Japanese architects that became the model for prefectural offices of 1904 in Yabunouchicho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on December 10, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey brick and part stone building of 2,822 square metres with carriage porches front and back and a slate roof; designation number 02458.

An Office West of the Imperial Palace

The former main building of the Kyoto Prefectural Office, west of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, was completed on December 20, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was designed by Matsumuro Shigemitsu, an engineer of Kyoto Prefecture, under the guidance of Kuru Masamichi of the Ministry of Education. Two storeys in brick with a partial basement, it has a timber roof truss and natural slate roofing.

Its plan is a hollow square around a courtyard, with a carriage porch at the front and the assembly hall projecting at the back. Its fine exterior is made to look like stone, and inside it has rich rooms, including the ceremonial hall, the grand staircase and the assembly hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency values it as a full-scale Western building by Japanese architects that marks a peak in their mastery of Western styles, and as the typical prefectural office with a built-in assembly hall, a model for those that followed.

What to Look For

At the building, look for the stone-like exterior and the ceremonial hall, grand staircase and former assembly hall inside (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The building is owned by Kyoto Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to Kyoto Prefecture (updated October 27, 2026), it is open free of charge 10:00 to 17:00 from Tuesday to Friday and on the first, third and fifth Saturdays, except public holidays and the New Year; some rooms or days are closed for official use, and groups of 10 or more must book ahead.