Hachiya Building (formerly Shimonoseki Branch of Toyo Hogei

Hachiya Building (Former Toyo Whaling Company Shimonoseki Branch): A Taisho-Era Landmark on the Kanmon Straits

Standing quietly atop a small hill on the Misaki-no-cho promontory that juts into the Kanmon Straits, the Hachiya Building is a striking reminder of Shimonoseki's once-thriving whaling industry. Constructed in 1926 (Taisho 15) as the branch office of the Toyo Whaling Company — one of the most powerful whaling enterprises in Japanese history — this two-story brick building has weathered nearly a century of change. Today, it serves as a registered tangible cultural property and a component of the Japan Heritage story "Kanmon Nostalgic Straits," drawing visitors who wish to experience the layered history of Japan's westernmost Honshu port city.

A Brief History of the Toyo Whaling Company

The origins of the building are inseparable from the story of modern whaling in Japan. In 1899, Juro Oka — a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture who would later earn the title "Whaling King" — founded the Nihon En'yo Gyogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Japan Deep-Sea Fishing Company), introducing Norwegian-style whaling techniques to Japan for the first time. By 1909, through a series of industry mergers, the company was reorganized as the Toyo Whaling Company (Toyo Hogei Kabushiki Kaisha), with its headquarters in Osaka and branch offices in Tokyo and Shimonoseki.

During the Taisho era, Toyo Whaling effectively dominated Japan's domestic whaling operations. After Oka's sudden death in 1923, his successor Tatsusaburo Shibuya oversaw the construction of this new Shimonoseki branch office in 1926. The company later merged in 1934 to become the Japan Whaling Company (Nihon Hogei), which sent Japan's first fleet to the Antarctic Ocean — a milestone in the nation's maritime industrial history. The lineage of these companies eventually led to modern-day Nippon Suisan (Nissui), one of Japan's largest seafood corporations.

Why Was It Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property?

The Hachiya Building was officially registered as a national tangible cultural property (registered on March 29, 2013) for several important reasons. First, its architectural significance: the building is a rare surviving example of a brick-constructed commercial office from the Taisho period, featuring Secessionist-style geometric ornamental details on its pilaster capitals and cornice — a design vocabulary uncommon in the Shimonoseki area. The combination of brick masonry with reinforced concrete elements (the slab and some columns use RC construction) also represents a transitional phase in Japanese building technology.

Second, the building carries profound historical and industrial value. As the branch office of one of Japan's most important whaling companies, it is a tangible monument to Shimonoseki's role as a major whaling port — a role the city maintained from the Meiji era through the postwar period. The building contributes to the historical landscape of the Kanmon Straits area and is recognized as a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage story "Kanmon Nostalgic Straits" (Story #052).

Architectural Features and Highlights

The original portion of the Hachiya Building is a two-story brick structure with a basement, capped by a flat (riku-yane) roof. Its exterior walls are finished in white mortar over the brick, creating a striking contrast with the exposed red brick tile that adorns the spaces between the tall, narrow windows. The pilasters that articulate the facade rise the full height of both stories and are crowned with distinctive geometric ornamental capitals in the Secession (Sezession) style — a design movement originating in Vienna that favored clean, angular forms over classical ornamentation.

Visitors with a keen eye will notice the unusual heptagonal (seven-sided) wall and arch at the main entrance, a peculiar detail that adds to the building's singular character. Inside, although renovations have altered much of the original interior over the decades, original plaster ceiling medallions and column capital decorations from 1926 survive, offering a rare glimpse of Taisho-era interior craftsmanship.

The northern section of the building, constructed of reinforced concrete, was added in two phases — in 1968 (Showa 43) and 1978 (Showa 53). The total building footprint is approximately 234 square meters.

A New Life: Restaurant Takatsu

After Toyo Whaling's corporate evolution, the building changed hands multiple times — serving as the Shimazu Shipping Shimonoseki office before becoming the rental office building known as "Hachiya Building." In recent years, part of the ground floor has been transformed into Restaurant Takatsu, an acclaimed French restaurant that opened in March 2017. Chef Kenichi Takatsu, a Yamaguchi native, renovated the historic space into a sleek, minimalist dining room centered on an eight-seat L-shaped counter with an open kitchen.

The restaurant has earned significant recognition, including six consecutive years in the Gault & Millau guide (2020–2025) with a 3-toque rating (15/20) in 2025, and a Bronze award at the Tabelog Awards 2025. Diners can savor innovative cuisine crafted from local Shimonoseki seafood while gazing at original brick beams overhead and ships passing through the Kanmon Straits beyond the windows — a memorable fusion of culinary art and architectural heritage.

Surrounding Attractions

The Hachiya Building is located within easy walking distance of many of Shimonoseki's most popular sightseeing spots. The Karato area, just minutes away, offers the famous Karato Market — a lively fish market where visitors can enjoy fresh sushi, fugu (pufferfish), and other local seafood, especially during the weekend "Ikiiki Bakangai" events. Nearby stands the Kaikyo Yume Tower, a 153-meter observation tower with panoramic views of the Kanmon Straits, Ganryujima Island, and the mountains of Kyushu.

History enthusiasts will appreciate the Akama Shrine (dedicated to the young Emperor Antoku), the Former British Consulate of Shimonoseki (an Important Cultural Property), and the Akita Shokai Building — another remarkable Taisho-era structure now serving as a tourism information center. The Shimonoseki Aquarium "Kaikyokan" is also nearby, boasting the world's largest collection of pufferfish species. For those wishing to cross to Kyushu, the Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel allows a unique walk beneath the straits to Moji Port in Kitakyushu, which features its own wonderful collection of Meiji and Taisho-era architecture.