An Expressionist Corner in Old Kawagoe
Taiyoken (太陽軒) is a Western-style restaurant building of about 1929 in Motomachi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 8, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a slate roof and a building area of 154 square metres; registration number 11-0085.
A Commercial Building of the Rebuilding Years
Taiyoken captures the spirit of the commercial buildings put up after the Great Kanto Earthquake (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a two-storey timber building under a hipped slate roof, with eaves pushed out far enough to hide the roof from the street.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the expressionist design of the south-east corner: a cut-off entrance, a round canopy above it, a pointed corner window upstairs and a corner column with an unusual capital; it was registered as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look at the south-east corner, with its cut-off entrance, round canopy and pointed corner window (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is a restaurant building owned by Taiyoken Co., Ltd. (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on business hours was found.
Q&A
- When was Taiyoken built?
- In about 1929 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is distinctive about it?
- The expressionist corner with a round canopy and pointed window.
- What about the roof?
- A hipped slate roof hidden behind deep eaves.
- Where is it?
- In Motomachi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
- When was Taiyoken registered?
- On November 8, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Taiyoken (太陽軒) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1-23 Motomachi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/11/08 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, slate roof, 154 m² |
| Owner | Taiyoken Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Restaurant building (no official information on opening) |
References
- Taiyoken (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004334
Last verified: 2026.10.21