Ryōunkaku, Brick tower in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
Ryōunkaku was a 12-story high-rise in Asakusa made from red brick and a wooden frame, standing roughly 52 meters tall. Its octagonal facade tapered upward with electric lighting on every floor and open observation platforms in the upper sections.
Scottish engineer William K. Burton designed this tower, which opened on November 11, 1890, and became Japan's first Western-built high-rise. An 1894 earthquake damaged it but it was reinforced with steel girders and survived until the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 forced its demolition.
The name means Cloud-Surpassing Tower and reflects how people at the time saw progress as reaching toward the sky. It served as a shopping destination for imported goods and a venue for events including geisha beauty contests.
The site is difficult to access today as only foundation remains from the original structure, occasionally visible during nearby construction work. A supermarket now occupies the spot where the historic building once stood.
Artist Ogawa Kazumasa created an illustration for the opening that still appears today in reproductions on modern buildings in the neighborhood. Parts of the original foundation were rediscovered during excavation work nearby a few years ago, revealing how deeply the structure was anchored into the ground.
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