Tajiri Historic House, History museum in Tajiri, Japan.
The Tajiri Historic House, nicknamed "Airland House", is a former villa built in 1922 for the cotton industrialist Taniguchi Fusakurō. Its symbol is a brick Western-style hall in German Jugendstil, possibly designed by Yasui Takeo, architect of the Osaka Gas Building. A two-storey Japanese-style wing adjoins it, with a tea room and a Japanese garden; the site covers 3,856.79 m².
Built in 1922 as the villa of Taniguchi Fusakurō, founder of Osaka Gōdō Bōseki, the spinning magnate known as the "Cotton King". Born in Yoshimi village in 1861, he kept the villa partly to contribute to Tajiri through income tax. After his death in 1928 it passed through company and private owners; Tajiri town acquired it in 1993 and opened it to the public, and it was registered as a national tangible cultural property in 1996.
The house is nicknamed "Airando Hausu" and was built as the villa of Taniguchi Fusakurō, the Osaka businessman called the "Cotton King" for founding Osaka Gōdō Bōseki in 1900. Its brick Western wing, in German Jugendstil style, now holds the café "Bellamente" in the main hall on the ground floor, while a two-storey Japanese wing, tea room and garden complete the site.
The house is about 400 m, a five-minute walk, from Yoshiminosato Station on the Nankai Main Line; by car, leave the Hanshin Expressway Bayside Route at Izumisano-minami IC and turn left before the Tajiri Sky Bridge. It has been closed for a long period since April 2016, so confirm access before travelling. Visits are free, and the garden, tea room and rooms can be rented.
The brick Western-style hall, built in 1922, shows German Jugendstil influence; its architect is unknown, though Osaka Gas Building designer Takeo Yasui is often suggested. The grounds also hold a two-storey Japanese-style wing, a tea house and a garden, and since 2016 the house has been closed long-term.
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