Former Osaka Mint

Former Osaka Mint

The Former Osaka Mint (旧造幣寮), the government mint founded in Osaka in 1871, survives in two buildings: its reception house, the Senpukan, and the main entrance of its foundry. Each was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 28, 1956 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Both are owned by Osaka City and stand on the same grounds in Tenmabashi, Kita Ward.

The Zoheiryo was the forerunner of today's Japan Mint, and the Senpukan stands across the national highway from it (Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau).

The Two Buildings

The Senpukan, designed by the architect Thomas Waters, is a two-storey brick and stone building with a carriage porch at the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The bureau describes it as veranda colonial in style, wrapped in verandas, and says its name was given by Emperor Meiji.

The foundry entrance is the stone portico of the mint's foundry, built in 1871; in 1934 it was moved to become the entrance of the Emperor Meiji Memorial Hall, now the public hall, to preserve it (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Together they record the Western-style architecture of an early Meiji government enterprise. Each building is described on its own page.

Visiting

According to the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, the Senpukan opens to the public for about three days each March, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., free of charge, and is closed at other times. The nearest stop is the Sakuranomiya-bashi city bus stop, about 0.6 kilometres north of Osakajo-kitazume Station on the JR Tozai Line.