A Tax Office of 1925 in Iwakuni
The Former Iwakuni Tax Office (旧岩国税務署, Kyū Iwakuni Zeimusho) is a two-storey timber tax office built in 1925 at Iwakuni 3-chome, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 15, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 202 square metres; registration number 35-0033. It is owned by Fujimoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Iwakuni City).
Built as a Tax Office
According to Iwakuni City, the Iwakuni tax office began in 1885 as a tax inspectors' branch. This building was its new office when the tax office moved from the Yokoyama district to the present site.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it stands where the road from Nishi-Iwakuni Station enters the town. It is said to have been designed by 田中俊郎, a technician of the tax supervision bureau (Agency for Cultural Affairs), and Iwakuni City sees in it a glimpse of local public buildings designed by the government building departments of the day.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Iwakuni Tax Office was registered as a structure that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a full two-storey building 10.5 bays wide, with the entrance at the centre of the front and the ends projecting slightly under gables, a composition in the Renaissance manner.
Iwakuni City places it among the Western-style buildings faced in artificial stone or mortar that were built in numbers after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and says it is reported to be the only prewar tax office building surviving in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
What to Look For
Look at the symmetrical front centred on the entrance, with both wings projecting slightly under gabled roofs (Iwakuni City). The walls are rendered in mortar, giving a timber building the look of a Western-style public office (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Former Iwakuni Tax Office is privately owned, and no interior opening has been announced. View it from the road without disturbing the owner.
The address is 3-13-9 Iwakuni, Iwakuni City. Enquiries go to the Iwakuni City Board of Education, Cultural Properties Division (0827-28-5353).
Q&A
- When was the Former Iwakuni Tax Office built?
- In 1925 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed the Former Iwakuni Tax Office?
- It is said to have been designed by 田中俊郎, a technician of the tax supervision bureau (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Iwakuni City).
- What are its exterior features?
- A symmetrical front with a central entrance and slightly projecting gabled ends, in the Renaissance manner (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I visit the Former Iwakuni Tax Office?
- It is privately owned and no interior opening has been announced; it can be seen from the road.
- When was the Former Iwakuni Tax Office registered?
- On February 15, 2000.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Iwakuni Tax Office (旧岩国税務署) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-13-9 Iwakuni, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/02/15 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 202 square metres |
| Owner | Fujimoto Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Privately owned (no interior opening announced) |
References
- Former Iwakuni Tax Office (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001533
- Former Iwakuni Tax Office (Iwakuni City cultural properties site, Japanese)
- https://iwakuni-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/%E6%97%A7%E5%B2%A9%E5%9B%BD%E7%A8%8E%E5%8B%99%E7%BD%B2/
Last verified: 2026.10.14