What Is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building?
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building (羽前絹練株式会社第二仕上棟, Daini Shiage-tō) is the finishing shed of a working silk scouring works in Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, where cloth that has shrunk in drying is brought back into shape; it was built in the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926), extended in the mid-Showa period, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 3 December 2024. Its footprint is 368 square meters.
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building stands directly south of the first finishing building. It takes the dried cloth from there and gives it a final dressing before it goes to the inspection building.
Putting the Width Back
Silk shrinks when it is boiled and dried. Tsuruoka City explains that the job of the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building is to restore the width of cloth that has drawn in during drying.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs captions its interior photograph as the finishing room. The floor is bare earth, lined with take-up machines and other equipment that wind the cloth once it has been straightened, ready for inspection.
Nothing is boiled here, yet the roof still carries a raised ridge vent (Koshi-yane) at its centre, this time for ventilation and daylight.
The Long Shed at the Centre of the Works
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building is a long single-storey shed running east to west, with a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) laid in pantiles (Sangawara-buki). Overhead, the King post truss roof frame is left open.
The agency singles out its length along the ridge and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a building that defines the middle of the factory. Together with the first finishing building, it forms a pair of long east-west sheds across the centre of the site.
Sources describe the cladding differently. The national database gives horizontal boarding; Tsuruoka City says the north wall is lapped weatherboard (Shitami-itabari) and the south wall corrugated iron.
Visiting the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building
The Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building is a working part of the factory and is not open to visitors. As of 28 September 2026 no public tours were listed by the company or by Tsuruoka City.
It stands in the middle of the works, so little of it can be seen from outside. Please stay on the public road and do not enter the site.
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Q&A
- What is the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building?
- It is a long shed in the middle of the Uzen Kenren silk works in Tsuruoka where dried silk that has shrunk is brought back to width and wound up for inspection.
- When was the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building built?
- In the late Taisho period, between 1919 and 1926, with an extension in the mid-Showa period.
- What is inside the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building?
- An earth-floored room lined with take-up machines and other finishing equipment, under an exposed king post truss and a central ridge vent for light and air.
- When did the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 3 December 2024, as registration number 06-0226, for the long east-west form that defines the centre of the factory.
- Can I visit the Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building?
- No. It is a working part of the factory, its interior is closed, and it can only be seen from outside the site.
Basic Information
| Name | Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building (羽前絹練株式会社第二仕上棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21-5 Shinkaicho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, etc. |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 06-0226 |
| Year Designated | Registered 3 December 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey, tile and sheet-metal roof, building area 368 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. Second Finishing Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015136
- Cultural Heritage Online: Uzen Kenren Co., Ltd. Second Finishing Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/614300
- 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
Last verified: 2026.09.28
