What comes to mind when you hear Bikan Historical Area?
- White walls
- Riverboats
- Ohara Museum of Art
Probably “traditional townscape” is the most common answer.
Bikan Historical Area is a place where people live and do business while preserving the traditional townscape for the present day.
However, townscapes that had been commonplace throughout Japan before the war gradually disappeared as the period of rapid economic growth began.
In 1968, at the height of the period of rapid economic growth, Kurashiki was among the first in Japan to enact the “Kurashiki City Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation Ordinance.”
The city chose to preserve this townscape.
So, if you ask whether Bikan Historical Area, whose townscape is mainly from the Edo period, has “only wooden buildings and no modern architecture,” the answer is no.
An architect from Kurashiki, who had considered how to create buildings that harmonize with traditional architecture, played an important role.
The architect’s name was Urabe Shizutaro.
As an architect, he supported Ohara Soichiro’s vision for urban development in Kurashiki and left behind many works, including buildings associated with the Ohara family and Kurashiki.
This article focuses on the keyword “Urabe Shizutaro” to introduce modern architecture in Kurashiki.
The information presented was current when this article was published in April 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Who Was Urabe Shizutaro?
Born in Kurashiki, Urabe Shizutaro joined Kurashiki Silk Textile Co., Ltd. (now Kuraray) in 1934 after graduating from university. Together with the company’s president, Ohara Soichiro, he supported Kurashiki’s urban development through architecture and continued to produce many works even after Ohara’s death.
While working at Kurashiki Rayon, he established the “Kurashiki Architectural Research Institute,” which was later renamed the “Urabe Architectural Design Office.”
He died in 1991 at the age of 82, but as of 2022, the firm continues as “Urabe Design Co., Ltd.,” designing buildings in Kurashiki and throughout Japan.
The main buildings designed by Urabe Shizutaro in Kurashiki, in chronological order, are as follows.
| Year | Building |
|---|---|
| 1957 | Kurashiki Archaeological Museum (extension) Ryokan Kurashiki (renovation) |
| 1961 | Ohara Museum of Art (Annex) |
| 1963 | Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel |
| 1965 | Kurashiki Youth Hostel |
| 1969 | Kurashiki Community Center |
| 1972 | Kurashiki Civic Hall |
| 1974 | Kurashiki Ivy Square |
| 1975–81 | Kurashiki Central Hospital (expansion and renovation) |
| 1980 | Kurashiki City Hall (Kurashiki City Office) Kurashiki Station Front Redevelopment East and West Buildings |
Concrete buildings designed to “harmonize” with the traditional townscape
All of Urabe Shizutaro’s buildings were constructed after the war.
In other words, they are neither traditional Edo-period buildings nor built using traditional construction methods.
The most obvious difference is that they are made of reinforced concrete (RC), not wood.
Although sometimes discussed as opposing approaches, Urabe Shizutaro is said to have valued above all else modern architecture that “harmonizes” with the traditional Edo-period townscape.
The unique measurement system, “KM (Kurashiki Module)”
The buildings most representative of efforts to harmonize with Bikan Historical Area are probably the Ohara Museum of Art (Annex) and Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel.
They may look like modern “exposed concrete,” but have a distinctive shape that evokes a roof.
Urabe Shizutaro reportedly called this measurement system “KM (Kurashiki Module).”
![[Closed] Ohara Museum of Art (Annex) — A museum embracing the present and supporting the pursuit of creativity](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/23060108/190215-101r-3.jpg)
See Urabe Shizutaro’s buildings
Let’s take a look at some of the buildings designed by Urabe Shizutaro in central Kurashiki.
Some locations charge admission, but this article mainly introduces the exteriors, which can be viewed free of charge.
Kurashiki Archaeological Museum (extension)
Kurashiki Archaeological Museum, renovated from an Edo-period rice storehouse, was expanded to improve its function as a museum.
The original building on the left has namako-kabe walls with raised joints.
The area to the right of the central building is the extension.
You can see that the extension stands out clearly, with its shallow-jointed namako-kabe walls and pale-colored walls.
Although it was technically possible to reproduce the same namako-kabe walls as the original building, the new and old sections were deliberately distinguished so they could be told apart. Urabe Shizutaro reportedly explained the reason at the time: “It is harmony between the old and the new.”
Ryokan Kurashiki
Ryokan Kurashiki was created by renovating the Kawahara residence, a sugar wholesaler’s home, for use as an inn.
The exterior was left as it was, while the interior layout was changed.
Ohara Museum of Art (Annex)
The Ohara Museum of Art (Annex) opened in 1961 as an art museum exhibiting modern Japanese Western-style paintings and contemporary art.
Perhaps even more striking than its appearance as an art museum is its exterior wall, which looks almost like a “castle wall.”
As of April 2022, the Ohara Museum of Art (Annex) is closed as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Main Building and the Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery are open.
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel
Located next to the Ohara Museum of Art (Annex), Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel is often the first thing visitors see when they arrive in Kurashiki by tour bus.
Ohara Soichiro is said to have remarked, “Every world-class city has a world-class hotel,” and this hotel embodies that vision, with a distinctive exterior to match.
It is an architectural example in which the “KM (Kurashiki Module)” is strongly expressed.
Kurashiki Youth Hostel
Kurashiki Youth Hostel sits atop a low hill near the Bikan Historical Area.
Its exterior resembles a compact version of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel, and it is still available for use as a youth hostel.
Kurashiki Community Center
Honmachi-dori, north of the Kurashiki River, is an area lined with traditional townhouses, and the building at its center is the Kurashiki Community Center.
In addition to meeting rooms, it has a large hall with 387 seats.
This building is right in the heart of the Bikan Historical Area, with white-plaster walls, small windows, and Kurashiki latticework.
In other words, it is clear that the building was designed with an appearance evocative of the Bikan Historical Area in mind.
Kurashiki Civic Hall
This multipurpose hall is used as a hub for sharing local culture, hosting events such as the Kurashiki Concert, which ran through 2020.
I’m a fan of idol groups and have visited many halls, mainly in western Japan, but halls that have been open for more than 30 years tend to look much the same.
Kurashiki Civic Hall, however, has a stylish exterior with its red roof and doesn’t feel like it has been open for nearly 50 years.
The distinctive roof is said to feature overlapping sections that evoke a crane in flight, and Urabe Chintaro reportedly called it “a hall where cranes dance and play.”
Kurashiki Ivy Square
This facility was created by renovating the factory buildings of Kurashiki Spinning Mill into a hotel, restaurants, halls, and other spaces.
Its most distinctive features are undoubtedly the brick exterior and the plaza.
After the renovation of Kurashiki Ivy Square, Urabe Chintaro’s architectural style changed significantly.
As of 2022, Kiyoshi Nishimura, president and representative director of Urabe Design Inc., described this in the book “The Work of Architect Chintaro Urabe” as follows.
A turning point in style, from “black and white” to “white and red”
Quoted from “The Work of Architect Chintaro Urabe”
Perhaps the “red of the bricks” made a strong impression on Urabe Chintaro.
Kurashiki Central Hospital Expansion and Renovation
Kurashiki Central Hospital plays a central role in local healthcare and also serves as a designated medical institution under the Infectious Diseases Control Law in responding to COVID-19.
It is a little way from the Bikan Historical Area, but anyone living in Kurashiki has probably seen the “hospital with the red roof.”
Kurashiki City Hall (Kurashiki City Office)
When showing visitors from outside Okayama Prefecture around Kurashiki City, the building they often ask about is Kurashiki City Hall: “What’s that?”
The combination of a high-rise tower block and a low-rise block with striking red brick makes it an impressive building that hardly seems like a city hall.
Apparently, this was also a project that fulfilled Urabe Chintaro’s long-held wish.
From the Writer
I first learned about Urabe Chintaro while reporting on the Ohara Museum of Art in March 2019.
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel can be seen from the courtyard of the Ohara Museum of Art.
The white and red walls of the Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery catch the eye, but I heard that the hotel’s walls also incorporate a “namako-wall-style design,” so that the hotel would blend in when viewed from the Ohara Museum of Art.
I was amazed that they had thought of even such details, despite the buildings being completely separate. I was also moved by the fact that the Bikan Historical Area has in fact changed over time, and has been developed with “harmony” in mind.
Kurashiki’s modern architecture is fascinatingly rich in detail.
Be sure to take a closer look as you explore the city.
- Photography: Sasaki Toshiyuki
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