A Whaling Company Office on the Kanmon Strait
The Hachiya Building (Former Shimonoseki Branch of Toyo Whaling) (蜂谷ビル（旧東洋捕鯨株式会社下関支店）) is a brick office building built in 1926 as the Shimonoseki branch of the Toyo Whaling company on a headland jutting into the Kanmon Strait at Hananocho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Yamaguchi Prefecture).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as brick and reinforced concrete, two storeys with a partial basement and a building area of 234 square metres, extended in 1968; registration number 35-0072. Yamaguchi Prefecture lists the owner as a private individual. It is also a component of the Japan Heritage story of the nostalgic Kanmon Strait (Japan Heritage portal).
Shimonoseki and Toyo Whaling
According to Yamaguchi Prefecture, Toyo Whaling was founded in 1909 and became Nippon Whaling through a merger in 1934, going on to send out Japan's first Antarctic whaling fleet; it was one of the core firms of the industry. Headquartered in Osaka, it built this office as its branch.
The prefecture describes it as an office that recalls the prosperity of Shimonoseki's whaling trade, which made the city one of Japan's leading centres of the industry before and after the war. The reinforced-concrete wing on the north was added in 1968 and 1978 (Yamaguchi Prefecture).
Why It Was Registered
The Hachiya Building was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Yamaguchi Prefecture notes traces of historicist design in its geometric capitals, pilasters and orderly tall windows, and its link to Shimonoseki's whaling history.
What to Look For
The brick part of the Hachiya Building uses reinforced concrete for floors and some columns and partitions. Its walls are rendered in mortar, with geometric ornaments at the tops of pilasters rising through both floors, and tiled mullions between the windows (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Yamaguchi Prefecture).
The interior has been altered, but above a later ceiling the original ceiling rose and other ornaments survive (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Japan Heritage portal calls it an unusual building with brick tiles over its brick walls.
Visiting
The Hachiya Building is privately owned, and we could not confirm any public opening (Yamaguchi Prefecture). It is at 3-21 Hananocho and others, Shimonoseki City, and the exterior can be seen from the surrounding streets.
Q&A
- When was the Hachiya Building built?
- In 1926; the reinforced-concrete wing on the north was added in 1968 and 1978 (Yamaguchi Prefecture).
- What was Toyo Whaling?
- A whaling company founded in 1909; after a merger, as Nippon Whaling, it sent out Japan's first Antarctic whaling fleet (Yamaguchi Prefecture).
- What does the Hachiya Building look like?
- Mortar-rendered walls with geometric ornaments atop two-storey pilasters and tiled mullions (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Does anything original survive inside?
- Yes, the original ceiling rose and other ornaments above a later ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Hachiya Building registered?
- On March 29, 2013.
Basic Information
| Name | Hachiya Building (Former Shimonoseki Branch of Toyo Whaling) (蜂谷ビル（旧東洋捕鯨株式会社下関支店）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-21 Hananocho and others, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/3/29 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick and reinforced concrete, 2 storeys with partial basement, building area 234 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior from the street) |
References
- Hachiya Building (Former Shimonoseki Branch of Toyo Whaling) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009536
- Hachiya Building (Yamaguchi Prefecture cultural properties)
- https://bunkazai.pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp/sp/bunkazai/summary.asp?mid=110211
- Hachiya Building (Japan Heritage portal)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/3474/
Last verified: 2026.10.11