Hakata Culture vol.185

Former Takamiya Residence of the Kaijima Family: A Traditional Building Brought back to Life

This April, Takamiya Minami Garden opened in a quiet residential area near Nishitetsu Takamiya Station. Within the lush green grounds sits the former Takamiya Residence of the Kaijima Family, a registered cultural property of Fukuoka City. The more than 100-year-old building, built in the Taisho era, can be used as a restaurant and teahouse. A new music hall and guest house were also built to serve as a venue for weddings, parties and events.

The former Takamiya Residence of the Kaijima Family was built by Kazo Kaijima, the younger brother of the coal mining magnate Taisuke Kaijima, and the Kaijima family was referred to as one of the three major families of the Chikuho region along with Aso and Yasukawa families. It was originally built in Nogata City in 1915 and moved to its current location in 1927. The Kaijima family continued to maintain ownership after that but donated the land and building to Fukuoka City in 2005. It is one of the largest modern Japanese-style buildings in the city and conveys the history of the coal industry in its heyday.

The impressive main building, built using traditional techniques, includes a 25-tatami main hall, which used to serve as a guest room, a sukiya (traditional tea house) style eight-tatami room with a garden view from two sides and a well-lit Western-style room equipped with a counter. The interior features many highlights, including latticework transoms, beautifully crafted ceilings, elegant paintings of egrets on the wooden doors and a telephone room that still has an old rotary phone from the olden days. Books and old photographs donated by the Kaijima family are also on display.

There are walking paths throughout the grounds where seasonal trees grow throughout the year in all four seasons, and visitors can stroll through the garden at their leisure. In addition, an authentic tea ceremony room has been preserved in one corner of the site, which can be rented out by guests who wish to enjoy its old-fashioned charm. The former Takamiya Residence of the Kaijima Family is one of the most valuable traditional buildings in the city, but it was closed to the public for many years after it was donated to Fukuoka City. It has been brought back to life with renovations that incorporate modern elements while respecting tradition.

hakata Culture also appears in

(c) www.fukuoka-now.com All Right Reserved

現代に蘇った旧高宮貝島家住宅

この4月、西鉄高宮駅にも近い閑静な住宅街に「高宮南緑地」が誕生しました。緑豊かな敷地内には、福岡市登録文化財である「旧高宮貝島家住宅」があり、大正時代に建てられた築100年以上の建物をレストランや茶房として利用できます。また新しくミュージックホールや迎賓館が建てられて、ウエディングやパーティ、イベント会場としても利用できるようになっています。

旧高宮貝島家住宅は、麻生・安川とともに「筑豊御三家」と呼ばれた炭鉱王・貝島太助の弟、貝島嘉蔵が建てた邸宅です。大正４（1915）年に直方市で建築され、昭和２（1927）年に現在地に移築されました。その後も貝島家の所有でしたが、平成17（2005）年に福岡市に寄付されています。市内有数の大きさを誇る近代和風建築で、石炭業全盛期の歴史を伝えています。

伝統技術を駆使した堂々たる主屋には、客間として使用された25畳の大広間、２方向から庭が眺められる数寄屋造りの８畳間、カウンターを備えた明るい洋室などがあります。透かし彫りを施した欄間、見事な造りの天井、板戸に描かれた優雅な白鷺の絵、当時のままの黒電話が残る電話室など見どころもたくさん。貝島家から寄贈された書物や昔の写真も展示されています。

四季折々の樹木が育つ敷地内には散策路が整備されて、ゆったりと庭園を回ることができます。また、敷地の一角には本格的な茶室が残されていて、当時の雰囲気そのままの茶室を借りることもできます。旧高宮貝島家住宅は市内でも貴重な伝統建築ですが、福岡市に寄付された後も長らく非公開でした。現代的な要素を取り入れながらも伝統を大切にした改装で現代に蘇りました。