Aburatsu Red Brick Museum (former Kono Muneyasu Family

Aburatsu Red Brick Hall: A Taisho-Era Treasure in Southern Miyazaki

Standing quietly on Nakamachi-dōri street in the port town of Aburatsu, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, the Aburatsu Red Brick Hall (油津赤レンガ館) is a striking two-story brick warehouse that has witnessed over a century of history. Originally built in 1922 (Taisho 11) as a storage facility for a wealthy timber merchant family, this building is now a nationally registered tangible cultural property and a beloved symbol of community pride.

Far from the bustling tourist circuits of Japan's major cities, the Red Brick Hall offers visitors a chance to step into the authentic atmosphere of a Taisho-era port town — a place where the cedar trade, tuna fishing, and canal commerce once created a thriving maritime economy along the coast of southern Kyushu.

History of the Building

The Aburatsu Red Brick Hall was constructed in 1922 by Kōno Muneto, the fourth son of Kōno Sōshirō, a prominent merchant who had amassed wealth through the trade of Obi cedar (飫肥杉). The Kōno family was one of the four major timber-trading households that dominated the lumber industry along the Horikawa Canal during the Meiji and Taisho periods.

The warehouse was built using approximately 220,000 bricks and served as a storage facility alongside the family's main residence, which dates back to the late Edo period. The building sits east of the Horikawa Canal and faces north onto Nakamachi-dōri, placing it at the heart of what was once a bustling commercial district driven by timber and maritime trade.

During the 20th century, as the timber and fishing industries declined, so did the vitality of Aburatsu's town center. By the late 1990s, the Red Brick Hall faced an existential crisis when it was scheduled for public auction. The prospect of demolition galvanized the local community into action.

Saved by Community Spirit

In 1997, when the Red Brick Hall was about to be put up for auction, local residents recognized that losing this landmark would mean losing a piece of Aburatsu's identity. They approached the municipal government for help, but were turned down due to budget constraints.

Undeterred, a group of passionate citizens decided to raise the funds themselves. The rallying cry was simple but bold: each supporter would contribute one million yen, and they needed thirty people to step forward. Shopkeepers, Buddhist monks, city council members, and ordinary citizens answered the call. In the end, 31 investors came together to form the "Gōmei Gaisha Aburatsu Akarenga-kan" (Aburatsu Red Brick Hall General Partnership), successfully purchasing the building for 25 million yen.

In 2004, the partnership donated the building to the City of Nichinan. After earthquake-resistance reinforcement and renovation work completed around 2010, the hall was reopened as a community cultural center. Today, the Red Brick Hall stands not only as a Taisho-era architectural treasure but also as a testament to the spirit of citizens who refused to let their heritage disappear.

Why It Is Designated a Cultural Property

The Aburatsu Red Brick Hall was registered as a national tangible cultural property (登録有形文化財) in 1998. The designation recognizes several key aspects of its cultural and historical significance.

First, the building is a rare surviving example of Taisho-period brick architecture in the Miyazaki region. Its exterior features carefully designed entrance gate structures and decorative elements that reflect the Western-influenced architectural aesthetics popular during the Taisho era. Inside, the central corridor is crowned by an elegant arched brick ceiling, and each room entrance is framed with arched openings — details that showcase the sophisticated construction techniques of the period.

Second, the building serves as tangible evidence of the prosperity that port towns and canal-based commerce once brought to southern Kyushu. Together with the nearby Horikawa Canal embankments and the Horikawa Bridge (also registered cultural properties), the Red Brick Hall forms part of a cohesive historical landscape that tells the story of Aburatsu's golden age of timber and tuna trade.

Architectural Highlights and What to See

Though modest in scale compared to famous brick warehouses in Yokohama or Hakodate, the Aburatsu Red Brick Hall possesses an intimate charm that rewards close attention.

The Horikawa Canal and Aburatsu's Maritime Heritage

To fully appreciate the Red Brick Hall, it helps to understand the broader context of Aburatsu's history. The town's prosperity was built on two pillars: Obi cedar timber and tuna fishing.

The Horikawa Canal, completed in 1686 by order of the Obi domain lord Itō Sukezane, was constructed to transport Obi cedar logs from the mountain forests to Aburatsu Port more efficiently. Stretching approximately 984 meters, the canal cut directly through the town, eliminating the need to navigate the treacherous waters around the coastline. The canal remained in active use well into the 20th century, and the traditional log-raft floating practice (弁甲筏流し) has been recognized as one of the "100 Fishing Village Cultural Heritage Assets to Preserve for the Future."

Aburatsu also became one of Japan's leading tuna fishing ports, and the wealth generated by both industries during the Meiji and Taisho periods funded the construction of substantial brick and stone buildings, creating the distinctive townscape that partially survives today.

Surrounding Attractions

The Red Brick Hall is ideally situated for exploring the historic Aburatsu district on foot. Several notable sites are within easy walking distance.

The Horikawa Canal and Horikawa Bridge are just steps away, offering a scenic walk along the stone-lined waterway. The Sugimura Hardware Store (杉村金物本店), with its distinctive copper-plate-clad facade, stands nearby on the main road — its three-story brick warehouse dates from 1920 and is also a registered cultural property.

Further afield, Nichinan City offers an impressive range of attractions. The Obi Castle Town (飫肥城下町), known as "the Little Kyoto of Kyushu," preserves a beautiful samurai district just 7 kilometers away. The spectacular Udo Shrine (鵜戸神宮), built inside a sea cave overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is approximately 9.5 kilometers to the north. Sun Messe Nichinan, famous for its replica Moai statues, is about 10 kilometers distant along the stunning Nichinan Coast.

Visitors to Aburatsu during spring may also enjoy the lively atmosphere brought by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team's annual spring training camp at nearby Tenpuku Stadium. The local Aburatsu Station has even been painted bright red in honor of the team.