Senpukan

The Reception House of the Osaka Mint

The Senpukan (泉布観) is a Western-style building of 1871 in Tenmabashi, Kita Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 28, 1956 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey brick and stone building of 543.0 square metres with a carriage porch at the front and a pantiled roof; designation number 01370.

The Mint's Reception House

The Senpukan was built in 1871 as the reception house of the Zoheiryo, the government mint (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its architect was Thomas Waters. It is now owned by Osaka City and stands within the grounds of the Sakuranomiya public hall.

According to the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, it stands across the national highway from the Japan Mint and is a two-storey brick building in the veranda colonial style, wrapped in verandas. The name, given by Emperor Meiji himself, means a hall of coinage.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

It was designated in 1956, together with the former mint foundry entrance, as one of the representative Western-style buildings of early Meiji Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

What to Look For

Look for the white plastered walls, the encircling verandas and the carriage porch at the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau). Inside, the bureau notes high ceilings with fireplaces, chandeliers and elegant decoration.

Visiting

According to the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau, the interior of the Senpukan opens to the public for about three days each March, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last entry 30 minutes before closing), 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.