A Photographer's Studio with a Skylit Upper Floor
Oya Kobikan (大谷好美館) is a photographer's studio of the late Meiji period in Imamiyacho, Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 25, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 61 square metres, altered in the early Showa period and in 2006; registration number 09-0193.
A Studio Upstairs Lit by a Skylight
Oya Kobikan is a two-storey, clapboarded photographer's studio facing west onto the approach to a shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a hip-and-gable sheet-metal roof with its entrance in the gable end and a porch at the front, and the gable wall is decorated with plant motifs and the character 美 (beauty).
The ground floor holds tatami rooms and a waiting room, and the upper floor a large studio (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A skylight in the roof for daylight gives it the look of a photographer's studio.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes its distinctive photographer's-studio look on the shrine approach, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the plant motifs and the character 美 on the gable wall, and the skylight in the roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Agency database does not list the owner. No official information on public access was found.
Q&A
- When was the studio built?
- In the late Meiji period, altered in the early Showa period and in 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the building?
- A photographer's studio.
- What marks it as a studio?
- A large upstairs studio lit by a skylight in the roof.
- How is the front decorated?
- With plant motifs and the character 美 on the gable wall.
- When was Oya Kobikan registered?
- On July 25, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Oya Kobikan (大谷好美館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1609-4 Imamiyacho, Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/07/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, sheet-metal roof, 61 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Oya Kobikan (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008639
Last verified: 2026.10.23