In this post, I want to write about some architects who changed the look of Kyoto.
Have you ever been to Tohka Saikan, the famous Chinese restaurant near Sanjo Bridge? Did you know it was first a “beer restaurant” called Yaomasa? The building was finished in 1926. It is in the Spanish Baroque style and it still has the oldest working elevator in Japan.
The architect was William Merrell Vories (1880–1964). He was American, but he lived and worked in Japan for most of his life. Vories designed about 1,600 buildings, many of them in the Kansai area. Just before World War II, he became a Japanese citizen and changed his name to Mereru Hitotsuyanagi. He even met Emperor Hirohito several times. Many examples of his work are in Omihachiman, the town where he lived.
Do you know who built Kyoto City Hall?
I have never been inside, but the outside is interesting because it mixes different styles.
The main building was made by Goichi Takeda (1872–1938), a famous Japanese architect. He worked with Shinichi Nakano, and the building was finished in 1931. It is in the European neo-baroque style, with a balanced front and a big entrance in the middle.
Takeda also built the Yurinkan Museum, across from Kyoto City Zoo. (I used to think it was an old Chinese restaurant, but it is actually the second-oldest private museum in Japan!) The museum is in a Chinese style and shows politician Zensuke Fujii’s collection of Chinese art and crafts.
Takeda could design in many styles. On Sanjo Street, near Teramachi, he built the 1928 Building in the Art Deco style. At first, it was for the Mainichi Shinbun newspaper. Today, it has cafes, restaurants, and galleries.
In the future, I want to write about the building in the photo below and the architect who designed it. Do you know where this building is in Kyoto?
