A Half-Timbered Dental Clinic of 1927
The Kondo Dental Clinic (近藤歯科医院, Kondō shika iin) is a wooden dental surgery and family house built in 1927 at Banba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 2, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a wooden building of two storeys, partly one, with a tiled roof and a building area of 83 square metres, registration number 11-0094. Chichibu City lists the owner as a private individual.
Why It Was Registered
The Kondo Dental Clinic was registered as a structure that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and Chichibu City describe it as a private clinic that combines Japanese and Western features.
Chichibu City's guide to its registered properties places it among other registered buildings in Banba-machi, such as the Miyamae residence and the Yasudaya shop, which together shape the townscape of central Chichibu.
What to Look For
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Chichibu City, a two-storey clinic wing forms the core, with a single-storey living wing joined to it so that the whole building makes an L.
The street front is built in the Shinkabe manner, with exposed timbers arranged to look like half-timbering, walls finished in a rough "German" render and a pantiled roof. The pairing of timber frame and rough render is what gives it its Western air.
Inside, the clinic wing is Western and the living wing Japanese (Agency for Cultural Affairs), so the Western-style surgery seen from the street and the Japanese home behind it are combined in a single building.
Visiting
The Kondo Dental Clinic is privately owned and no interior opening has been announced. The exterior can be seen from the street in Banba-machi; please do not enter the property and respect the residents' privacy.
The address is 1026-6 Banba-machi, Chichibu City. Enquiries go to the Chichibu City Board of Education, Cultural Properties Protection Division (0494-22-2481).
Q&A
- When was the Kondo Dental Clinic built?
- In 1927 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chichibu City).
- What is the layout of the Kondo Dental Clinic?
- A two-storey clinic wing with a single-storey living wing attached, forming an L (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is distinctive about the Kondo Dental Clinic's exterior?
- The street front is half-timbered in style, with rough "German" render and a pantiled roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Kondo Dental Clinic?
- It is privately owned and no interior opening has been announced. The exterior can be seen from the street.
- When was the Kondo Dental Clinic registered?
- On March 2, 2006.
Basic Information
| Name | Kondo Dental Clinic (近藤歯科医院) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1026-6 Banba-machi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, two storeys with a single-storey part, tiled roof, building area 83 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | No interior opening announced (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Kondo Dental Clinic (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005256
- Kondo Dental Clinic (Chichibu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/4278.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in central Chichibu (Chichibu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/secure/24418/tourokuyukei_pamphlet.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.14