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 Goich 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 of 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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