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NAGOYA — One of the buildings at the second residence of Ito Jirozaemon Suketami (1878-1940), the first president of the Matsuzakaya department store, in Nagoya’s Chikusa Ward features a blend of styles from countries he was fond of.
The majestic “Choshokaku” building in the style of a mountain villa stands out for its vivid Bengal red. The three-storied structure with one basement floor is on the grounds of “Yokiso,” the late business tycoon’s villa.
Choshokaku was built in 1937 as a guest house for dignitaries and cultural figures from various fields. It is characterized by its half-timber style exterior, in which the pillars, beams and other timbers are exposed and the spaces between them are filled with plaster or other materials. Each room is decorated in the styles of countries that influenced Ito, such as Britain and China.
The basement staircase has a spiral decoration on the railing. The design is said to have been inspired by the pattern on the “torana,” a stupa gate resembling a Japanese torii gate, in Sanchi, India. The pillars and walls of the former ballroom are decorated with reliefs and patterns seen on ruins in Cambodia and India, and the skills of stone masons and plasterers can be seen everywhere.
The building was donated to the Nagoya Municipal Government in 2007 and was designated a tangible cultural property by the city the following year. Restoration work was completed in 2013, and the structure is now open to the public, conveying local history and culture.
(Japanese original by Koji Hyodo, Nagoya Photo Group)
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The Japanese version of this article was originally published on June 6, 2021.
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This series explores Japan’s architectural wonders and secrets of yesteryear. Read more Retro Japan articles here.
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