Taishō
大正Browse Japan’s cultural heritage from the Taishō period (1912 – 1926). Filter by prefecture, type, and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
Discover the Okano Family Residence Storehouse in Ogose, Saitama — a rare three-story earthen-walled kura built in 1915, registered as a Tangible Cultural Property. Explore its exquisite craftsmanship and the silk trading heritage of this charming town near Tokyo.
Kami Bridge in Honjo City, Saitama Prefecture, is a reinforced concrete girder bridge built in 1926 during the final year of the Taisho era. Despite its modest 6.3-meter span, this nationally registered tangible cultural property features exquisite decorative details including house-shaped pillar caps, classical pediments, and seven continuous arches edged with white tiles. Located beside the cherry blossom haven of Wakaizumi Park, it offers a charming blend of Taisho-era elegance and seasonal beauty.
Discover the Hyakken Elementary School Slide in Miyashiro, Saitama — a rare Taisho-era reinforced concrete playground slide built in 1926 and registered as a national tangible cultural property. Still in use by children today.
Discover the Asake River Sabo Dam (T11-1), a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Komono, Mie Prefecture. Built in 1922 as the prefecture's first mortared stone dam, it stands in the scenic Asake Valley along the Suzuka Mountains.
The Asake River Sabo Dam (T11-2), located in the scenic Asake Valley of Komono Town, Mie Prefecture, is a dry stone erosion control dam built in 1922 during the Taisho era. Constructed from massive natural boulders fitted together without mortar, its powerful appearance and exceptional masonry precision have been compared to the legendary Anō stonemasons of Ōmi Province. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 1998, the dam has protected the valley's natural beauty and downstream communities for over a century.
Discover the Asahi Town Museum, a registered tangible cultural property in Mie Prefecture. Built in 1916 as the Asahi Village Office, this Taisho-era wooden building preserves the architecture of rural Japanese government offices along the historic Tokaido road.
Standing in the heart of Iga Ueno's castle town in Mie Prefecture, the Iga Railway Ueno-shi Station Building is a three-story wooden structure completed in 1917. Its unique crossed gambrel roofs earned it National Registered Tangible Cultural Property status in 2021. Nicknamed Ninja City Station, this still-active terminus welcomes travelers to Iga Ueno Castle and the famous Iga-ryu Ninja Museum.
Discover the Iga Railway Ota Arch Bridge (Ota Kōkyō), a Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1916 in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. This brick-and-stone arch bridge still serves as a local road beneath the Iga Railway line, preserving over a century of railway engineering heritage in the heart of ninja country.
Built in 1916 during the Taisho era, the Oda Second Culvert on the Iga Railway in Mie Prefecture features an exceptionally rare stone-girder construction with 23 granite beams supporting the railway track. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2021, this over-a-century-old structure continues to serve as both a railway support and a city road in the ninja homeland of Iga.
The Iga Railway Kuwamachi Overpass Bridge in Iga City, Mie Prefecture, is a brick single-arch bridge built in 1922 during the Taisho era. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2021, it features cross-shaped parapet openings and intricate diagonal-brick cornices. Discover this hidden gem of railway heritage in Japan's legendary ninja heartland.
Discover Ichinoyu Honkan, a 1926 public bathhouse registered as a national tangible cultural property in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. Experience Taisho-era architecture blending Japanese and Western design in the heart of ninja country.
Discover Ichinoyu Gate (Ichinoyumon), a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. Built in 1926, this granite-pillared gate with its iconic neon sign welcomes visitors to one of Japan's most atmospheric traditional bathhouses in the historic ninja hometown of Iga Ueno.
Discover the Ueno Cultural Center (Ueno Bunka Center), a three-story wooden commercial building from 1922 in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. This Registered Tangible Cultural Property blends Taisho-era architecture with modern café culture in the heart of ninja country.
Kawachi Photo Studio in Shinmachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, is a wooden two-story (partially three-story) building constructed in 1921 during the Taisho period. Featuring Western-influenced design elements such as parapet turrets and a triangular gable, along with a glass-roofed photography studio for natural lighting, it is registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property as a rare example of Taisho-era commercial architecture.
Discover the Former Taki County Office Hexagonal Hall in Taki Town, Mie Prefecture — a distinctive Taishō-period wooden building with an unusual hexagonal plan, coffered ceiling, and lion-topped ridge tiles inscribed "Kinenkan." Registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2015.
Discover the Former Toyobo Spinning Co. Tomida Factory Raw Cotton Warehouse in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. This registered tangible cultural property, built in 1917, features five connected brick warehouses now repurposed within a modern shopping mall, preserving Japan's textile industry legacy.
At the west edge of the Nagatani-en grounds in Iga stands a two-story Taisho retreat, once a retirement home. Japanese rooms sit beside a Western wing with a bay window.
The gates and walls framing the Nagatani-en estate in Iga: a four-legged front gate, a bracket-arm west gate, a courtyard gate, and a 106-meter earthen wall.
Discover the Furusato Pedestrian Tunnel (Former Unno Tunnel), a registered tangible cultural property in Kihoku, Mie Prefecture. Built in 1914 as part of the Kumano Kaido road modernization, this 208-meter brick tunnel features elegant portal design and rare gas lamp niches.
Discover the Matsusaka City Cultural Property Center, a nationally registered tangible cultural property housed in a stunning 1923 red brick warehouse. Explore Taisho-era industrial heritage, National Treasure haniwa clay figures, and the rich history of Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture.