The Station's Workshop
The Former Saitama Prefectural Textile Industry Testing Station Chichibu Branch Factory Building (旧埼玉県繊維工業試験場秩父支場工場棟) is a timber workshop building of 1934 in Kumaki-cho, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 12, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 515 square metres; registration number 11-0033.
A Sawtooth Twisting Shed and a Gabled Dye Shed
The factory building stands behind the main building to the east and housed the rooms used for twisting yarn and for dyeing (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A sawtooth-roofed twisting shed, its ridges running north to south, joins a gabled dyeing shed whose ridge runs east to west, so that the two parts meet in an L.
Pantile roofs and clapboard walls tie the long building together, and the Agency calls it the most conspicuous structure on the site.
Saitama Prefecture's list describes the sawtooth part as the weaving shed rather than the twisting shed, and dates the building to 1934; the two sources simply label that part differently.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the factory building for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is the shed where the station's yarn and dye work was actually done, still wearing its sawtooth roof and clapboard skin.
The prefecture's survey sheet calls it the most prominent and best-preserved building on the site, and a symbol of the traditional industry it served.
What to Look For
A sawtooth roof is a row of single-pitched roofs, each with a vertical band of glazing that brings steady daylight onto the work floor. On the twisting shed you can count the teeth along the roofline.
Further east the ridge turns through 90 degrees into the gabled dye shed. From near the corner of the L you can take in both roof directions at once, and the full run of clapboard wall that binds them.
Visiting
The factory building is part of Chichibu Meisenkan, and the city presents it, with the main building, as a survivor of the early Showa era. During opening hours the exterior can be seen from within the grounds. Official information does not say how much of the interior is open.
Q&A
- When was the Former Saitama Prefectural Textile Industry Testing Station Chichibu Branch Factory Building built?
- In 1934 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of roof does the Chichibu Meisenkan factory building have?
- A sawtooth roof over the twisting shed, with ridges running north to south, joined in an L to a gabled dye shed running east to west.
- What work was done in the factory building?
- It held rooms for yarn twisting and dyeing; Saitama Prefecture describes the sawtooth part as a weaving shed.
- Can I see the factory building at Chichibu Meisenkan?
- Yes, the exterior can be seen from the grounds during museum hours (Chichibu City). How much of the interior is open is not stated officially.
- When was the Former Saitama Prefectural Textile Industry Testing Station Chichibu Branch Factory Building registered?
- On October 12, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Saitama Prefectural Textile Industry Testing Station Chichibu Branch Factory Building (旧埼玉県繊維工業試験場秩父支場工場棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 500-1 Kumaki-cho and other lots, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001/10/12 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single-storey, tiled roof, 515 m² |
| Owner | Chichibu City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable at Chichibu Meisenkan; interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Former Saitama Prefectural Textile Industry Testing Station Chichibu Branch Factory Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002360
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties: Structures (Saitama Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/documents/27121/02_r7torokuyukebunkazai.pdf
- Landscape resource data sheet for the factory building (Saitama Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/documents/65008/1120707002_20240701.pdf
- Chichibu Meisenkan (Chichibu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/2255.html
Last verified: 2026.10.20
