Where Suwa's Watchmaking Began
The Seiko Epson Founding Memorial Hall (Former Daiwa Kogyo Office) (セイコーエプソン創業記念館（旧大和工業事務所）) is the Western-style office of a watch-parts maker of 1945 in Owa, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 27, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 193 square metres, extended around 1968 and renovated in 2011; registration number 20-0629.
A Clapboard Office Lined with Windows
The Seiko Epson Founding Memorial Hall is the former office of a watch-parts maker on the east shore of Lake Suwa (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A two-storey hipped building roofed in pantiles with an entrance porch on the west, it has clapboard walls and many bands of windows on both floors, giving it an open look.
Inside, a corridor runs along the west side of the ground floor and down the centre of the upper floor (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency calls it the Western-style office where watchmaking in Suwa began.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the clapboard walls and the bands of windows on both floors (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Seiko Epson Corporation (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on public access was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1945, extended around 1968.
- What was it originally?
- The office of Daiwa Kogyo, a watch-parts maker.
- What marks its exterior?
- Clapboard walls and bands of windows.
- Why does it matter?
- It is where watchmaking in Suwa began.
- When was the Seiko Epson Founding Memorial Hall (Former Daiwa Kogyo Office) registered?
- On February 27, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Seiko Epson Founding Memorial Hall (Former Daiwa Kogyo Office) (セイコーエプソン創業記念館（旧大和工業事務所）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 287-3 Owa 3-chome, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2023/02/27 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 193 m² |
| Owner | Seiko Epson Corporation |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Seiko Epson Founding Memorial Hall (Former Daiwa Kogyo Office) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014484
Last verified: 2026.10.25