Former Hunter House, Western residence in Aotani-cho, Kobe, Japan

The Former Hunter House is a two-storey, south-facing building in Aotani-chō, moved here in 1963. Its green walls with white trim carry a balustraded balcony, diamond-lattice windows and glass doors, and a projecting gabled section with a louvered circular vent. A three-storey tower room stands at the northwest corner, and the ground floor is wrapped by a veranda with diamond-lattice glazing.

Built around 1889 for the German A. Greppie on the site of today's Kobe Club, the house was bought around 1907 by the British shipbuilder Edward Hazlett Hunter, founder of the company that became Hitachi Zosen. He moved it to Kitano-chō and glazed the open veranda. In 1963 it was relocated to Ōji Zoo and in 1966 designated an Important Cultural Property.

The residence exemplifies the ijinkan style, a Western home design that emerged in Kobe for foreign merchants and diplomats during the early 1890s. These structures reflect how international residents created their own living spaces within Japanese cities.

The house stands inside Kobe Oji Zoo in Nada-ku, a 5-minute walk from Hankyu Oji-koen Station or 10 minutes from JR Nada Station. It has been closed since January 2026 for earthquake reinforcement work, so check before travelling. The interior is viewed along a roped route marked by a 順路 sign.

The house was moved from Kitano-chō to the zoo grounds in 1963; a slope in Kitano-chō still bears the name Hunter-zaka after the residence. The building appeared on a 1984 commemorative postage stamp in the Modern Western Architecture series.