A symmetrical office on the headquarters plaza
The Konkokyo Tosha East Building (金光教徒社東棟, Konkōkyō Tosha Higashi-tō) is a two-storey timber office in Western style built in 1921 on the plaza in front of the Konkōkyō headquarters in Otani, Konkō-chō, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 October 2017.
Konkokyo Tosha, the publishing house of the Konkōkyō faith, occupies three buildings in an east-west row, and the east building was the second of them to be built.
The Konkokyo Tosha East Building is the one that faces north onto the headquarters plaza. It was extended in 1953.
Why it was registered
The east building was registered as one that sets a model for design, the same criterion applied to the central building. The west building was listed instead as a contributor to the historic landscape.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its symmetry: a central entrance with matching wings on either side, giving a small timber office the formal frontage of a public building. For a religious publisher in a provincial gate town in the Taishō era, it was a confident statement of modernity.
What to look for
The building rises two storeys under a hipped Yosemune-zukuri slate roof and has a building area of 128 square metres. It sits on a foundation of dressed stone, and above that the walls are clad in horizontal weatherboarding, known in Japan as Shitami-itabari.
Look at the eaves line. At the centre it lifts very slightly, just enough to suggest a classical pediment above the entrance. It is a small move, but it gives the symmetrical front a clear focal point.
Its neighbours take different routes to a Western look. The central building disguises its walls as stonework in painted mortar, while the west building keeps to plain weatherboarding. Standing on the plaza, you can compare all three at once.
Visiting
The Konkokyo Tosha East Building remains in use by Konkōkyō, and no announcement of interior opening was found. The exterior can be seen from around the headquarters plaza. Because the building is a working office, keep to viewing from outside, and ask staff before photographing on the premises.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Konkokyo Tosha East Building
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I visit the Konkokyo Tosha East Building?
- No interior opening has been announced. The building faces north onto the plaza in front of the Konkōkyō headquarters, and its exterior can be viewed from around the plaza.
- When was the Konkokyo Tosha East Building built and registered?
- It was built in 1921 and extended in 1953, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 27 October 2017.
- Where is the best place to view the Konkokyo Tosha East Building?
- The building faces north onto the plaza in front of the Konkōkyō headquarters. From the plaza side you can read its symmetry around the central entrance and the slight lift of the eaves line at the centre.
- Why was the Konkokyo Tosha East Building registered?
- It was registered as a model of design, recognised for its symmetrical Western-style front arranged around a central entrance.
- What are the architectural features of the Konkokyo Tosha East Building?
- It is a two-storey timber building with a hipped slate roof, a dressed-stone foundation and weatherboarded walls. The facade is symmetrical around a central entrance, and the eaves line rises slightly at the centre to suggest a pediment.
Basic Information
| Name | Konkokyo Tosha East Building (金光教徒社東棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 337-1 Otani, Konkocho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building with slate roofing; building area 128 square metres |
| Owner | Konkokyo (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior only (visible from around the plaza in front of the headquarters; no interior opening announced) |
References
- Konkokyo Tosha East Building | Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012038
- Konkokyo Tosha East Building | Cultural Heritage Online
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/300989
- Recommendation for registration of the Konkokyo Tosha buildings | Asakuchi City
- https://www.city.asakuchi.lg.jp/page/2081.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
