Kaizuka City History Museum (former Unitika Ltd. Kaizuka

Kaizuka City History Museum: Where Japan's Industrial Heritage Meets Olympic Glory

Tucked away in the residential streets of Kaizuka City in southern Osaka Prefecture, the Kaizuka City History Museum (known affectionately as "Furusato Shittoko! Kan") is far more than just another local museum. Housed in a beautifully preserved 1935 office building that once served the Dai Nippon Spinning Company (later Unitika Corporation), this Registered Tangible Cultural Property offers visitors a rare and moving encounter with two of Japan's most compelling modern stories: the rise of the textile industry that powered the nation's economic transformation, and the legendary "Oriental Witches" volleyball team that captivated the world at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

A Brief History of the Building

The building that now houses the Kaizuka City History Museum was constructed in 1935 (Showa 10) as the administrative office for the Kaizuka Factory of Dai Nippon Spinning Company (大日本紡績株式会社), which later became known as Nichibo and eventually Unitika Corporation. The factory was one of the major textile production centers in the Senshu region of southern Osaka, playing a vital role in Japan's modern industrialization.

The Kaizuka Factory operated from 1935 until 1997, spanning more than six decades of Japan's most dramatic era of change — from prewar industrial expansion through wartime upheaval, postwar reconstruction, and the economic miracle of the 1960s. When Unitika decided to close the factory, the company generously renovated the former office building and donated it along with the front gate and garden area to Kaizuka City in 2005. The city then opened it as a public exhibition facility on October 1, 2005.

On May 15, 2007, the building was officially registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (国登録有形文化財), recognizing its architectural and historical significance as a structure requiring special preservation and utilization measures.

Why Is It a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?

The Kaizuka City History Museum earned its designation as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for several important reasons tied to its architectural character and historical significance.

The building is a single-story, L-shaped wooden structure facing south, with the western half extending northward. It covers a floor area of 325.94 square meters and features a hip roof (寄棟造) covered with slate tiles. The design was created by the Hashimoto Tsutomu Architectural Office, and construction was carried out by Takenaka Corporation, one of Japan's most prestigious construction firms.

One of the most distinctive features is the scratch tile (スクラッチタイル) decoration adorning both sides of the main entrance. Scratch tiles — characterized by fine grooved lines scratched into the surface before firing — became widely popular in Japanese architecture following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's use of them in the original Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Their rich texture creates an interplay of light and shadow that gives buildings a dignified and substantial appearance.

The low, horizontally oriented profile of the building strongly emphasizes the horizontal lines characteristic of early Showa-period (1930s) architecture. This design aesthetic, with its streamlined proportions and restrained ornamentation, represents an important transitional moment in Japanese architectural history when Western modernist influences were being adapted to Japanese sensibilities and purposes.

The Registered Tangible Cultural Property system was established in 1996 to protect the diverse range of modern architectural heritage that was at risk of disappearing amid rapid urban development and changing lifestyles. Unlike the stricter Important Cultural Property designation, the registration system employs gentler protective measures based on notification and guidance, making it well-suited for buildings like this one that continue to serve active public purposes.

The "Oriental Witches": A Story of Determination and Triumph

Perhaps the most emotionally powerful aspect of the Kaizuka City History Museum is its exhibition dedicated to the legendary Nichibo Kaizuka women's volleyball team, famously known as the "Oriental Witches" (東洋の魔女, Toyo no Majo).

In 1954, Dai Nippon Spinning Company consolidated its women's volleyball teams from various factories and established a unified team at the Kaizuka Factory. Coach Hirobumi Daimatsu, a veteran who had survived the harrowing Imphal Campaign during World War II, was appointed to lead the team. Under his extraordinarily demanding training regimen — with players working in the factory during the morning and practicing from afternoon until late at night — the team rose from obscurity to become the dominant force in Japanese volleyball.

The team's innovative "rolling receive" technique, inspired by the way a daruma doll rights itself when knocked over, was developed to compensate for the Japanese players' smaller stature compared to their international rivals. This revolutionary defensive technique allowed them to return seemingly impossible shots and built an impenetrable wall of defense.

During a European tour in 1961, the team won all 24 matches against national teams, earning the nickname "Oriental Witches" from the European sports press. In 1962, they won the World Championship by defeating the Soviet Union. Then, at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics — where women's volleyball was included as an official sport for the first time — the Japanese team, composed primarily of Nichibo Kaizuka players, swept to gold medal glory. Their final match against the Soviet Union drew a television audience share reportedly reaching as high as 66.8%, making it one of the most-watched sporting events in Japanese television history.

The museum preserves tangible connections to this extraordinary achievement, including sections of the original gymnasium floor where the team practiced their grueling training sessions, championship trophies, and other memorabilia that bring this inspiring chapter of sports history to life.

Highlights and What to See

The museum features two exhibition rooms (Exhibition Room A and Exhibition Room B), each offering distinct aspects of Kaizuka's heritage.

Nearby Attractions

Kaizuka City offers several other cultural and historical destinations that pair well with a visit to the History Museum.

Gansenji Temple (願泉寺), a short distance away via Nankai Railway, is a major Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple whose main hall, drum tower, bell tower, and front gate are all designated as Important Cultural Properties. The surrounding Kaizuka Jinaimachi (寺内町) — a historic temple town — preserves atmospheric streets lined with traditional merchant houses, earthen warehouses, and lattice-windowed buildings, many of which are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties themselves.

Mizumadera Temple (水間寺), accessible via the charming Mizuma Railway, is a Tendai Buddhist temple said to have been founded by the monk Gyoki in the 8th century. Its three-story pagoda, rebuilt in 1834, is the only pre-Meiji pagoda surviving in Osaka Prefecture. The temple also features the romantic Aizendo hall, designated as a "Sacred Place for Lovers."

Koenji Temple (孝恩寺) houses a National Treasure — the Kannon Hall — making it a must-visit for cultural property enthusiasts. The Niiro-no-Hama Beach offers a completely different experience with its white sands and pine groves along the coast.

For those interested in the sister-city connection born from volleyball diplomacy, the museum also introduces Culver City, California — Kaizuka's sister city since 1965, a relationship that began when the Nichibo Kaizuka team played a goodwill match in Los Angeles during their return from the 1962 World Championship.