The Machine Shop at a Glance
The Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop (旧中川煉瓦製造所機械場) is a single-storey brick works building of about 1916 in Funaki-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 10, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its registration number is 25-0235.
It stands southwest of the office and has a building area of 112 square meters (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Openings on Three Sides
The Nakagawa machine shop is a single-storey brick building 12 meters by 10 meters, close to square in plan, under a gabled roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its walls are in English bond. The east and south sides have doorways under shallow segmental arches, and the west side has a wide opening. A row of dentils, small projecting blocks like a line of teeth, runs along the cornice (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country, and notes that the dentil cornice gives the exterior its accent.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry illustrates Omihachiman's red-brick manufacturing heritage with a photograph of this machine shop in the foreground and the Hoffman kiln behind, and lists it with the other three buildings.
What to Look For
Notice how the openings differ: segmental arches on the east and south, a wide opening on the west (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Nakagawa machine shop looks quite different depending on which side you see it from.
The dentils under the eaves add a fine rhythm to the English-bond walls. From some angles the kiln chimney rises behind the machine shop, which makes it easy to see how the factory buildings relate to one another.
Visiting
No official information on interior access to the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop was found, so it is seen from outside the grounds.
It stands southwest of the office on the main brickworks site by the Hachiman-bori canal, about 2 kilometers northwest of JR Omi-Hachiman Station in a straight line.
Q&A
- Where is the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop?
- In Funaki-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, southwest of the office on the former brickworks site (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop built?
- In about 1916 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How big is the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop?
- It is a single-storey building 12 by 10 meters, with a building area of 112 square meters (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop?
- No official information on interior access was found; it is seen from outside the grounds.
- When was the Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop registered?
- On November 10, 2005, under registration number 25-0235 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop (旧中川煉瓦製造所機械場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 59-1 Higashizawada, Funaki-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, single-storey, building area 112 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no official information on interior access) |
References
- Former Nakagawa Brick Factory Machine Shop (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004988
- Heritage of Industrial Modernization 33 (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japanese)
- https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/mono/creative/kindaikasangyoisan/pdf/isangun.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.01
