[Museum Meiji-Mura]
The Meiji period was an era when the foundations of Japan as a modern nation were laid. The samurai-centered feudal society that had lasted for centuries came to an end, and various infrastructures that form the basis of modern society, such as railways, electricity, the postal system, and elementary schools, began during this time. Along with political and social systems, the urban landscape also changed rapidly. Buildings incorporating new materials introduced from the West, such as bricks, stone, and glass, began to appear, forming a new cityscape combined with the traditions and techniques of wooden architecture that had been predominant until then. Museum Meiji-Mura, located in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, is an open-air museum where such precious architectural structures of the Meiji period are preserved and exhibited.
Museum Meiji-Mura opened in 1965 as an outdoor museum to preserve and display Meiji architecture. Its first director, the architect Yoshiro Taniguchi, witnessed the demolition of the Rokumeikan and lamented, saying that the buildings and belongings of the Meiji period would have been a meaningful gift to the next era. However, due to subsequent war damage and development projects during the postwar rapid economic growth period, Meiji buildings began to disappear one after another. Under these circumstances, Taniguchi, together with Motoo Tsuchikawa (former chairman of Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd.), who was his classmate at the Fourth Higher School under the old system (now Kanazawa University), dedicated his efforts to establishing Museum Meiji-Mura to relocate and preserve the Meiji buildings that were about to be demolished. Meiji-Mura is located in a lush, nature-rich area surrounded by mountains and Lake Iruka, and it is said that there are two main reasons why this location was chosen. First, by placing it away from the city center, the buildings saved from the threat of demolition would not be exposed to the risk of redevelopment again. Second, by using the surrounding scenery as a "borrowed scenery" (shakkei), the atmosphere of the places where those buildings originally stood could be recreated. With this foundational background, Meiji-Mura has been working to preserve and convey the value of the authentic until today.
The greatness of Meiji-Mura is, above all, that everything is authentic. Among more than 60 structures, 11 are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, one as a Tangible Cultural Property of Aichi Prefecture, and two historical materials are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, with most of the remaining structures registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan. There are many highlights, and the fulfillment is such that even a whole day feels insufficient, but the most popular icon that can be called the face of Meiji-Mura is the Main Entrance Hall of the old Imperial Hotel. This is the central entrance area of the former Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most prominent American architects of the 20th century. During the period of rapid economic growth, its demolition was decided due to a plan to high-rise the hotel, and only the central entrance section was donated and relocated to Meiji-Mura. Oya stone, scratch tiles said to be created by Wright together with artisans in Tokoname, and terracotta were extensively used, and the geometric pattern decorations created a unique worldview and space as if wandering into ancient ruins. One forgets the time while looking at the elaborate designs and decorations. I felt an atmosphere that only the authentic can create, along with a certain beauty and dignity that continues to fascinate people even after all these years. It was truly an overwhelming masterpiece of architecture created by a foreign architect and the hands of Japanese materials and artisans.
Customers who visit our Wakamatsu Showroom often share their impressions, saying, "What an amazing building," "It remains just as it used to be," or "I didn't know such a building still existed." Every time we have such conversations, we feel that the existence of the authentic is becoming rare and precious in today's Japan, and that opportunities to encounter such buildings are decreasing. We cannot help but wonder how we can preserve the wonderful architecture we received as a gift from the people of the past as a gift for the next generation. All of our showrooms are located inside buildings that have been cherished and passed down through generations. We hope you will visit us as a place where you can easily connect with the authentic.
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
References
https://www.meijimura.com/about/
https://www.meitetsu.co.jp/profile/bc/meitetsu_wao/story/03/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%9A%E7%89%A9%E9%A4%A8%E6%98%8E%E6%B2%BB%E6%9D%91
https://www.meijimura.com/sight/%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD%E3%83%9B%E3%83%86%E3%83%AB%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E7%8E%84%E9%96%A2/
