West Japan Industrial Club, Art Nouveau mansion in Tobata-ku, Japan
The West Japan Industrial Club is a mansion from the early 1900s that combines Western and traditional Japanese architecture. It features Art Nouveau elements like flowing forms and decorative details on its facades and throughout the interior.
Architect Tatsuno Kingo, who also designed Tokyo Station, built this house between 1908 and 1912 for industrialist Matsumoto Kenjiro. It was created during a period when Japan was adopting Western influences into its own building traditions.
The building shows how European Art Nouveau patterns blend with Japanese design ideas in its curved lines and ornaments throughout every room.
This building opens to the public only once a year, with dates announced about two months in advance. Plan your visit around these announced dates to make sure you can enter.
The house was designed by the same architect who later built Tokyo Station, making it a snapshot of his earlier work. This detail shows how this important designer developed his craft before creating Japan's most famous train station.
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