The Office on the West Road
Seigyoku Office Building (勢玉事務所棟) is a two-storey timber townhouse of the early Showa period in Fukushima, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 23, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tile roof and a building area of 45 square metres; registration number 36-0020.
A Townhouse Facing the West Road
Seigyoku Office Building is a two-storey Machiya facing the road that runs along the west side of the Seigyoku brewery site, laid out in the Hirairi manner with its eaves side to the street (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency places it west of Storehouse A.
With a building area of 45 square metres, Seigyoku Office Building is modest beside the two storehouses. Its design is fairly plain, and the Agency dates it only to the early Showa period, without giving a specific year.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered Seigyoku Office Building as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. The reason it gives is not ornament but survival: fires during the Second World War destroyed many of the timber buildings in the Fukushima district, and this is one of the few townhouses there that remain (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
From the west road, follow the line of the eaves of Seigyoku Office Building along the street and the plain upper storey above them. The restrained front shows the practical build of an early Showa townhouse.
North-east of Seigyoku Office Building stands the brick chimney put up when the brewery was founded (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Meiji storehouses, a chimney and a Showa townhouse share a single site here.
Visiting
Seigyoku Office Building faces the west road and can be seen from the street. No official source describes its present use or whether the interior is open.
No official guidance on photography was found. Opening hours and parking are covered on the Seigyoku Sake Brewery page.
Q&A
- Where is Seigyoku Office Building?
- On the Seigyoku brewery site at 1-4-9 Fukushima, Tokushima City, facing the west road and west of Storehouse A (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was Seigyoku Office Building built?
- In the early Showa period, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which gives no specific year.
- Why is Seigyoku Office Building a registered cultural property?
- It is one of the few townhouses that survive in the Fukushima district, where Second World War fires destroyed many timber buildings (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside Seigyoku Office Building?
- No official information on interior access was found; the exterior can be seen from the west road.
- When was Seigyoku Office Building registered?
- On August 23, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Seigyoku Office Building (勢玉事務所棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-4-9 Fukushima, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/08/23 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 45 m² |
| Owner | Seigyoku Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street (extent of interior access unconfirmed) |
References
- Seigyoku Office Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001298
- Seigyoku Office Building (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/137068
Last verified: 2026.11.08
