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Hachiku-an (the former house of the Kawasaki family) is a leading ‘machiya’ building in Kyoto.

This building was originally erected by Inoue Risuke the 4th, a wealthy merchant in Muro-machi, Kyoto, for his house and office in 1926.  Designed by a couple of noted architects, Takeda Goichi in charge of a Western section and Kosaka Asajiro for a Japanese section, the architectural concept of this building is a fusion of Japanese and Western style.  Lavish details of its interior furnishing and exterior design are seen here and there in and around the building.  It was purchased by the Kawasaki family, a kimono merchant, in 1965 to be used for his residence and guest house, but is now owned by a different local merchant and is open to the public with careful maintenance.  The building standing on the site of 820 square meters is a considerably large ‘kyomachiya’, a unique town house in Kyoto.  The first photo shows a ‘ranma’, a decorative transom separating two continuous Japanese rooms.  This elaborate workmanship on a solid wood is a work of Takeuchi Seiho, a renowned Japanese-style master painter.  The second one is the inner court of the building.  Tsuboniwa, a small inner court, is an essential part of kyomachiya though, this garden is large enough as it was originally owned by a very wealthy merchant.

 




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