World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Arita’s 1876 Western-style house recalls the town’s porcelain trade
Arita in Saga Prefecture was once a global porcelain center in southwestern Japan.
The town’s preserved Arita Uchiyama district contains buildings from the late Edo period through the Showa era.
Sukesaku Tashiro built the house in 1876 as his family’s overseas porcelain business grew.
The two-story wooden building blends Western design with Japanese construction techniques.
It hosted Western visitors who came to buy porcelain, reflecting Arita’s international trade.
Its preserved features include colored-glass windows, a spiral staircase and family crests on the washi-paper ceiling.
The house is a nationally designated important cultural property, and its historic setting helps preserve Arita’s architectural heritage.
The Former Tashiro Family Western-style House in Arita was built in 1876 by Sukesaku Tashiro.
The two-story wooden building blended Western designs with traditional Japanese building techniques.
It was used to entertain and accommodate Western visitors who came to buy porcelain.
The house stands in Arita Uchiyama, once a global center of porcelain production.
The building is a nationally designated important cultural property.
- Who
- Sukesaku Tashiro built the house. It was used to host Western visitors who came to buy porcelain.
- What
- The Former Tashiro Family Western-style House is a two-story wooden building in a quasi-Western style.
- When
- It was built in 1876.
- Where
- Arita Uchiyama preservation district, Arita, Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
- Why
- It was used to entertain and accommodate Western visitors who came to buy porcelain.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Sukesaku Tashiro built the Former Tashiro Family Western-style House.
The house was photographed in Arita, Saga Prefecture.
- Construction year
- 1876
- Builder
- Sukesaku Tashiro
- Location
- Arita, Saga Prefecture
- Building
- Two-story wooden house in a quasi-Western style
- Designation
- Nationally designated important cultural property
- Original use
- Entertaining and accommodating Western porcelain buyers