What Is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building?
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building (羽前絹練株式会社事務所及び仕立棟, Jimusho oyobi Shitate-tō) is the office and cloth-preparation wing of a working silk scouring works in Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; it was built in 1940 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 December 2024. At 705 square meters it is the largest of the seven registered buildings on the site.
The building occupies the northeast corner of the works. A two-storey office with its entrance on the north side is joined to a long single-storey preparation wing running south. The storehouse is attached to the far end of that wing, so the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building forms one continuous run from the front desk to the stockroom.
Rebuilt in the Year It Burned
Tsuruoka City records that the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building was destroyed by fire in 1940 and rebuilt within the same year. What stands today is that rebuilding, with further extensions made in the mid-Showa period.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Uzen Kenren office for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its description points to the stacked gable roofs, which together form the public face of the factory. The scouring and finishing sheds behind are marked by their raised ridge vents; the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building, set on the road, is marked instead by layered gables.
The Japan Heritage listing describes the office corner as thoroughly Japanese in style, with a black board fence and a pine beside the gate, a pairing it compares to the fences around samurai houses and modern Japanese-style buildings.
A 140-Mat Preparation Room
Inside the preparation wing of the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building is a single room with a floor area of 140 tatami mats. This is where shitate, the preparation step, takes place: bolts of cloth are wound onto wooden frames and made ready for the scouring vats.
The wound cloth then goes north to the scouring building. The size of the room reflects the job, which means laying out and handling many bolts at once; the Agency for Cultural Affairs captions its interior photograph simply as the scouring preparation room.
Every length of silk that passes through the works begins here, and the finished goods return to the storehouse at the south end of the same building.
Visiting the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building is part of a working factory and its interior is not open to visitors. As of 28 September 2026 no public tours were listed by the company or by Tsuruoka City.
Of the seven registered buildings, this is the easiest to see from the road. Look for the north entrance with the black fence and the gate pine. Please stay on the public street, keep clear of deliveries and staff, and limit photographs to the exterior.
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Q&A
- What is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building?
- It is the office and cloth-preparation wing of the Uzen Kenren silk scouring works in Tsuruoka: a two-storey office joined to a single-storey wing where bolts of silk are wound onto frames before scouring.
- When was the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building built?
- In 1940. Tsuruoka City records that the earlier building burned that year and was rebuilt straight away; it was extended in the mid-Showa period.
- What happens in the preparation wing of the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building?
- Bolts of cloth are wound onto wooden frames in a 140-mat room so that they can be scoured evenly in the vats of the neighbouring scouring building.
- When did the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 3 December 2024, as registration number 06-0222, for the way its stacked gable roofs form the face of the factory.
- Can I visit the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building?
- The interior is closed because the factory is in operation, but the north entrance, fence and gate pine can be seen from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building (羽前絹練株式会社事務所及び仕立棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21-5 Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, etc. |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 06-0222 |
| Year Designated | Registered 3 December 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey with a 2-storey section, tiled roof, building area 705 square meters |
| Owner | Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (working factory) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015132
- Cultural Heritage Online: Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Office and Preparation Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/605786
- Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. and the seven buildings recommended for registration (Tsuruoka City, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.tsuruoka.lg.jp/bunka/rekishi/uzenkenren.files/uzenkenren.pdf
- Uzen Kenren Scouring Building and six others (Yamagata Prefecture, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www100.pref.yamagata.jp/documents/19483/touroku_uzen.pdf
- Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. (Japan Heritage Portal, Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/2980/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
