Former Kagoshima Foreign Engineer's Residence（Ijinkan）

As part of “Shuseikan Business”, Shimazu Nariakira preached the importance of creating sails for Western ships to promote trading. When he suddenly passed away, his adopted child, Shimazu Tadayoshi created Japan’s first western style textile factory, the Kagoshima Spinning Mill in 1867.

The Former Kagoshima Foreign Engineer’s Residence, aka “Ijinkan” (foreigners pavilion) was a dorm prepared for 7 British craftsmen who were summoned to Japan to teach textile making. It had a balcony, created by wood, in a colonial style. The building was designed by a British architect, and was built by Japanese craftsmen. The building utilizes a Western-Japanese hybrid of architecture building, evident from the use of Japanese units of measurement. The building is an important reminder which shows how Japanese architecture evolved to integrate Western design philosophies.

The building is a national important cultural asset, and is also a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage (as part of Site’s of Meiji Japan’s Industrial Revolution). The building exhibits several documents and photos that show the history of Japan’s first western-style textile factory. Visitors may also check recreations of rooms adorned with antique furniture.