Arai Building

Arai Building: A Taisho-Era Banking Landmark in Osaka's Kitahama District

Standing proudly on a corner of Sakai-suji Avenue in Osaka's Chuo Ward, the Arai Building (新井ビル) is a striking example of early twentieth-century commercial architecture. Originally constructed in 1922 as the Osaka branch of Hotoku Bank, this four-story reinforced concrete building has witnessed a century of Osaka's transformation while retaining its dignified Taisho-era presence. Today registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property, the building continues to serve as an active commercial space, most notably housing the beloved patisserie GOKAN on its first and second floors.

Historical Background

The Arai Building was completed in 1922 (Taisho 11) as the Osaka branch of Hotoku Bank (報徳銀行). Designed by the distinguished architect Kawai Kozo and constructed by Shimizu-gumi (now Shimizu Corporation), the building represented the best of contemporary banking architecture—solid, imposing, and built to inspire public confidence in a financial institution.

Hotoku Bank, however, did not survive the Showa Financial Crisis. Following the bank's collapse, the building passed through several hands before being acquired in 1934 by Arai Securities, a brokerage firm founded in 1927 by Suekichi Arai, an importer of foreign goods based in Kitahama. The company renamed it "Arai Building" and established its headquarters here, using the basement and first two floors for its own operations while leasing the upper floors as office space.

During World War II, the building suffered the loss of its balcony railings and elevator due to wartime metal requisition orders. Despite these losses, the building itself survived the war intact. In the postwar years, the Arai family continued to manage the building as a tenant property. When plans emerged in 1976 to demolish it and construct an eight-story replacement, Arai Shinichi, who had just assumed the company presidency, ultimately decided to preserve the structure after receiving a conservation appeal through architect Kiyoshi Seike from the Architectural Institute of Japan.

A steak restaurant called "Kotokusha Suehiro" operated on the first and second floors from 1976. Then in 2005, the popular patisserie GOKAN opened its Kitahama flagship store in the building, carefully renovating the interior while respecting the original Taisho-era atmosphere. The Arai Building was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property (Registered Tangible Cultural Property for buildings) in 1997 and was later selected for the Osaka Living Architecture Museum (Ikita Kenchiku Museum) Osaka Selection.

Why It Is Designated as a Cultural Property

The Arai Building was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in July 1997 in recognition of its significance as a well-preserved example of Taisho-era reinforced concrete commercial architecture. Several factors contributed to this designation.

The building exemplifies the architectural standards of Japanese banking during the early twentieth century, when financial institutions sought to project stability and trustworthiness through imposing stone and concrete structures. Its use of reinforced concrete construction—still relatively new in Japan at the time—combined with granite cladding on the ground floor and tile finishing on the upper stories, reflects the emphasis on earthquake and fire resistance that characterized progressive commercial architecture of the period.

The design by Kawai Kozo, a prominent architect who studied under Josiah Conder at the Imperial College of Engineering and later trained at the Ende & Böckmann office in Germany, represents the work of one of Japan's first generation of Western-trained architects. While rooted in classical principles, the building incorporates elements of the Secession style (Sezessionsstil), featuring geometrically simplified ornament that reflects contemporary European design trends. This blend of classical structure with modernizing decorative sensibility marks the building as a transitional work in Japanese architectural history.

Furthermore, the building has maintained its essential form and character for over a century, continuing to function as an active commercial property—a "living" piece of architectural heritage in the heart of Osaka's financial district.

Architectural Highlights

Exterior Design

The Arai Building is a four-story reinforced concrete structure with one basement level, covering a building area of 254 square meters. The facade is characterized by a symmetrical composition with a distinctive two-tone treatment: the ground floor is clad in granite stonework that conveys weight and permanence, while the upper three stories are finished in lighter-toned tiles that create a sense of visual buoyancy.

The most prominent feature of the facade is the arrangement of four Doric-order columns across the central portion of the ground floor, flanking the main entrance area. This classical colonnade gives the building a dignified, institutional character befitting its original function as a bank. Two separate entrances are positioned on either side—the left leading to the current patisserie, and the right providing access to the upper-floor offices via a staircase.

The building's ornamental details reflect Kawai's late-career engagement with Secession-style design. Rather than elaborate historicist decoration, the building features geometrically abstracted motifs that give it a clean, modern appearance while maintaining classical proportions. This approach was characteristic of Kawai's mature work, blending the classical training he received in his youth with the newer European design currents of the early twentieth century.

Interior Spaces

The interior layout retains much of its original banking-hall configuration. The ground floor, once the main banking hall, features a generous ceiling height appropriate to a public financial institution. The central space is marked by an atrium that rises through the building, with the second floor arranged around this void with individual rooms along the perimeter—originally private offices and meeting rooms for bank operations. The upper floors were configured as general office space.

When GOKAN renovated the first and second floors in 2005, the patisserie made every effort to preserve the original architectural character. The ground-floor shop occupies the former banking hall, while the second-floor salon makes use of the original room divisions, creating intimate spaces for afternoon tea. The original staircase connecting the two floors has been retained, and the overall atmosphere—high ceilings, carefully chosen furnishings, and period details—evokes the Taisho-era sophistication that the building was designed to embody.

The elevator shaft, left empty since the wartime metal requisition, now serves as an open atrium in the stairwell area, providing a striking vertical space that draws the eye upward through the building.

The Architect: Kawai Kozo (1856–1934)

Kawai Kozo was one of Japan's pioneering Western-trained architects who played a foundational role in establishing modern architectural practice in the country. Born in Saitama Prefecture and raised in Edo (Tokyo), he studied architecture under the British architect Josiah Conder at the Imperial College of Engineering (Kobu Daigakko), graduating in 1882 as part of the fourth class.

After entering government service and working on the Imperial Palace construction project, Kawai was sent to Germany in 1886 to study parliamentary architecture, where he worked at the prestigious Ende & Böckmann architectural office. Upon returning to Japan, he served as a technical officer at the Ministry of Justice and oversaw the construction of the Ministry of Justice building (now the Ministry of Justice Old Main Building, an Important Cultural Property).

Kawai eventually settled in the Kansai region, opening his own practice in Kobe in 1905. He became a leading figure in western Japan's architectural community, designing numerous significant buildings including the Nara Hotel, the former Kodera Family Stable (designated an Important Cultural Property), the Osaka Mint Bureau's former thermal power station (now the Mint Museum), and the former Mitsui Bussan Kobe Branch (now Kaigan Building). The Arai Building, designed when Kawai was in his mid-sixties, represents his mature style—classical in structure yet incorporating the latest European design sensibilities.

Visiting the Arai Building

While the upper floors of the Arai Building are private office spaces not open to general visitors, the first and second floors can be experienced through a visit to GOKAN Kitahama Honkan, the flagship store of this acclaimed Osaka patisserie. The first floor serves as the retail shop where visitors can purchase an array of pastries, cakes, and baked goods made with carefully selected domestic Japanese ingredients. The second-floor salon offers a refined setting for enjoying cakes, French toast, and seasonal desserts along with coffee and tea, all within the elegant Taisho-era interior.

From the outside, visitors can freely admire the building's handsome facade, with its Doric columns, granite base, and tile-clad upper stories. The building is also featured in Osaka's "Ikita Kenchiku Museum" (Living Architecture Museum) program, and during the annual Ikita Kenchiku Festival held each autumn, special access to architectural heritage sites across Osaka is sometimes available.

Access to the Arai Building is convenient: it is located approximately two minutes on foot from Exit 2 of Kitahama Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line and Keihan Railway. The Yodoyabashi Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line is also within walking distance.

Surrounding Attractions

The Kitahama and Nakanoshima area surrounding the Arai Building is one of Osaka's richest districts for modern architectural heritage and cultural sites. Visitors exploring the neighborhood will find numerous other notable buildings and attractions within easy walking distance.

• Osaka Securities Exchange Building — Located nearby on the same stretch of Kitahama, this is the historic center of western Japan's financial markets.
• Nakanoshima — The island district just to the north features the Osaka Central Public Hall (Osaka-shi Chuo Kokaido), a beloved red-brick Neo-Renaissance building from 1918, and the Nakanoshima Library, both Important Cultural Properties.
• Osaka Club (Osaka Kurabu) — A 1924 Registered Tangible Cultural Property social club building designed in a distinctive blend of Southern European and Asian styles, located within walking distance.
• Kitahama Retro Building — Originally built in 1912 as the Osaka Stock Exchange, this renovated building now houses specialty shops and cafes, offering another beautiful example of early modern architecture.
• Nakanoshima Park and Rose Garden — A pleasant green space between the Dojima and Tosabori rivers, perfect for a stroll after visiting the building.
• Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka — Located on Nakanoshima, this museum houses one of the world's finest collections of East Asian ceramics.