Kurashiki Boseki Memorial Hall

The Cotton Store of 1888

The Kurashiki Boseki Memorial Hall (倉敷紡績記念館) is a warehouse from the founding of the Kurashiki spinning company of 1888 in Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 11, 1998 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey building of timber and partly brick, with a tiled roof and a building area of 701 square metres; registration number 33-0025.

The Cotton Store of the Founding Years

The Kurashiki Boseki Memorial Hall survives from the founding of the Kurashiki spinning company and stands at the north-west of the site, beside the former main gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Built as a store for raw cotton, it has the look of a traditional earthen-walled storehouse with boarded lower walls.

Two buildings were later joined into a U-shaped plan, with a brick wall raised where they meet the extension (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Okayama Prefecture tourism site, it is now the Kurabo Memorial Hall within Kurashiki Ivy Square, presenting the company's history through documents, photographs and models.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registers this survivor from the company's founding, with its traditional storehouse exterior, for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the boarded storehouse walls and the brick wall where the two buildings were joined (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

According to the Okayama Prefecture tourism site, it is open from 10:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:45) with no regular closing days; admission is 300 yen for adults and 250 yen for students, free for preschool children. It is about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kurashiki Station.