Maizuru World Brick Museum, Brick museum in Maizuru, Japan

The Maizuru World Brick Museum occupies a single steel-framed brick building finished in 1903 as the torpedo storehouse of the Imperial Japanese Navy arsenal. Its bricks are laid in the French bond, and it is counted among Japan's oldest surviving steel-framed brick structures. Inside are displays of bricks from historic buildings worldwide, a section on famous brick architecture, and a reconstruction of a Hoffmann kiln.

The museum occupies a single red brick building completed in 1903 as the torpedo storehouse of the Imperial Japanese Navy arsenal in Maizuru. It is a steel-framed structure laid in Flemish bond, counted among Japan's oldest surviving steel-framed brick buildings. In June 2008 it was designated an Important Cultural Property as part of the Maizuru red brick warehouse group, and the museum opened in November 1993.

The building itself is a former torpedo store of the Imperial Japanese Navy, finished in 1903 with a steel frame and French-laid brickwork, among the oldest surviving steel-framed brick structures in Japan. Inside, bricks from historic buildings worldwide are displayed alongside a reconstruction of a Hoffmann ring kiln showing how bricks were fired.

The site is about 20 minutes on foot from Higashi Maizuru Station and the grounds are easy to explore. Plan enough time to walk through all the buildings and view the displays at a relaxed pace.

The building is the former torpedo storehouse of the Imperial Japanese Navy, completed in 1903, and it is considered among Japan's oldest surviving steel-framed brick buildings. Its bricks are laid in the French bond, a pattern rare among Maizuru's brick structures. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2008 as part of the Maizuru red brick warehouse group.