“What’s that red building with the tall tower?”
“That’s Kurashiki City Office.”
“Wow! It’s unusual for a city office to look like that!”
Many Kurashiki residents have probably had this kind of exchange while showing around friends visiting from outside the prefecture.
- A huge tower
- A building striking for its red color, including its brick-tile exterior
It has the feel of a traditional European building, so few people would recognize it as a city office at first glance.
Kurashiki City Office’s main building was completed in 1980.
It was criticized in the media as “extravagant,” and apparently its reputation was poor immediately after completion.
But now, 40 years later, I feel it has become “a symbol of Kurashiki City.”
Its exterior is striking, but I think a city hall packed with such thoughtful details inside could not be built today.
The feature I consider the most distinctive of Kurashiki City Office’s main building is its “Citizens’ Hall,” which expresses civic pride.
To be honest, I didn’t even know it existed. That’s understandable, since it is “a special space used only on limited occasions.”
In this article, I take a closer look at Kurashiki City Office’s main building as a work of architecture. With the cooperation of Kurashiki City, I was also able to report on the Citizens’ Hall.
The information in this article was current when it was published in April 2022. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Kurashiki City Office’s Main Building
Kurashiki City Office’s main building was completed in 1980.
Its construction followed the growing momentum for a new city hall after Kurashiki City, Kojima City, and Tamashima City merged in 1967.
The former city hall was completed in 1960 and served its purpose for just 20 years, but it is still in use today as the Kurashiki City Art Museum.
Initially, the planned site was southeast of the former city hall, where Geibunkan Hall now stands.
The site was later changed to its present location, and the city hall was built with 10 above-ground floors and a 66-meter-tall tower on its west side.
Designed by Shizutaro Urabe, who dreamed of designing a city hall for his hometown of Kurashiki and made that dream a reality
The architect was Shizutaro Urabe, who was born in Kurashiki.
He designed numerous buildings in Kurashiki, including the Ohara Museum of Art (Annex), Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel, Kurashiki Community Center, and Kurashiki Ivy Square. At the time of completion, he reportedly said, “This was a project I had long hoped to do.”
Urabe’s passion for building a city hall dates back 50 years before its completion.
In the 1930s, while still a student, Shizutaro Urabe saw photographs in magazines of Stockholm City Hall in Sweden and Hilversum City Hall in the Netherlands.
Photo: Kazuto Kasahara
Photo: Kazuto Kasahara
Photo: Kazuto Kasahara
Photo: Kazuto Kasahara
In particular, Hilversum City Hall was designed by Dutch architect Willem Dudok. From then on, Urabe aspired to “become the Dudok of Kurashiki” and began dreaming of designing a city hall in his hometown.
Being entrusted with the design of Kurashiki City Office’s main building was the moment his long-held dream came true.
However, although he took on several city hall design projects, Kurashiki City was the only one that came to fruition.
Kurashiki City Office’s main building is the only building where we can experience Urabe’s vision of what a city hall should be.
Features of Kurashiki City Office’s Main Building
The building embodies the architect’s dream, but as a public building, it is also expected to fulfill its role as a public facility.
Public buildings tend to prioritize economy and efficiency. If a city hall were to be rebuilt today, these would probably be considered the most important factors.
When Kurashiki City Office’s main building was completed, newspapers reportedly criticized it as “extravagant” and “the most wasteful city hall in the Orient.”
This was presumably because it had features such as the following:
- A 66-meter-tall tower
- A Citizens’ Hall expressing civic pride
These features are also found in Stockholm City Hall and Hilversum City Hall.
So what “idea” do these city halls have in common?
It is symbolism rooted in European tradition. The city hall was designed not only as an open place for residents to relax, but also as a ceremonial space that conveys a solemn sense of civic spirit.
It would be too simplistic to attribute these functions solely to “Shizutaro Urabe’s strong personal preferences.”
Given the historical context, Tamashima City and Kojima City had merged to form a new Kurashiki City. I imagine that a symbol was needed to help the city move forward as “a new Kurashiki,” and that this was reflected in the city hall.
In fact, the interior is also full of thoughtful details (more on this later).
The 66-meter-tall tower
The most striking feature of Kurashiki City Office’s main building is probably its 66-meter-tall tower.
It stands above the building’s 10 floors.
It is quite tall by Kurashiki standards, but its height was adjusted so that it would not exceed the nearby Ashitaka Shrine; apparently, it is 50 centimeters shorter.
You may not often get a chance to see the tower up close, but in fact, there are gold and silver spheres at its four corners.
These reportedly represent the Shiomitsutama and Shiofurutama jewels that appear in the Japanese myth of Yamasachihiko and Umisachihiko, as told in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
- The god who created the mountains (Kurashiki)
- The god who created the sea (Tamashima and Kojima)
Perhaps they embody the hope that the tower would serve as a focal point for the three merged cities and become a symbol for their residents.
This is written in a note titled “The New Kurashiki City Hall,” left by Shizutaro Urabe himself when the city hall was completed.
I’ve included a photo of the note at the end of the article, so please take a look if you like.
The Citizens’ Hall, expressing civic pride
The Citizens’ Hall at Kurashiki City Office’s main building is probably the most symbolic space in Urabe’s vision of city hall architecture.
- A high ceiling and lighting inspired by wisteria, Kurashiki City’s official flower
- Marble flooring
- Portraits of former honorary citizens, and more
It is not lavishly ornate, but you can sense its solemn atmosphere just by looking at it.
The Citizens’ Hall is on the first floor of Kurashiki City Office’s main building, but it is not open for general use.
Even city office employees do not use it regularly. It is a special space used only a few times a year, for ceremonies attended by the mayor and similar occasions.
Some may argue that “a space like this is wasteful.”
However, Shizutaro Urabe was committed to creating “a ceremonial space that conveys a solemn sense of civic spirit.”
The way people think about what a city hall should be may have changed in the roughly 40 years since the merger of Kurashiki, Tamashima, and Kojima.
But when I entered the Citizens’ Hall for the first time, I strongly felt the thought and care that had gone into this space.
Take a look at the building's exterior
Now, let's take a look at the exterior of Kurashiki City Hall's main building.
The building with brick-tile cladding and arched openings is the “parking garage.”
Many Kurashiki residents say, “The parking garage is the best,” and, including the roadside trees, it is my favorite view too.
Take a look inside the building
Next, let's take a look inside the building.
1st floor (mainly resident services area)
The first floor is an area where resident services are mainly provided, such as handling various applications.
The civic hall mentioned earlier is also on the first floor.
3rd floor (mainly the mayor's office and council chamber)
From the second floor up, the space is generally used for offices, and the layout is more or less the same.
However, the third floor has a different atmosphere. This is because the mayor's office and the council chamber are located there.
A rooftop garden on the third floor
There is a rooftop garden close to the assembly chamber.
Visitors on inspection tours are often surprised to find a rooftop garden here.
“The Kurashiki City Hall Main Building Today,” More Than 40 Years After Its Completion
As described above, Kurashiki City Hall’s main building serves not only as a place for residents to access city services and as a workplace, but also carries significance as a “symbol of Kurashiki City.”
The building is currently managed by the General Affairs Division of Kurashiki City.
In the second half of this article, we interviewed staff about building management and what they would like people to know about Kurashiki City Hall’s main building.
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
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