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| Kasumigaseki
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| Government buildings on
the map |
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Red-brick building
of the Central Government Building No.6 |
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The preservation and utilization of historic buildings has become
a topic of interest all over Japan. The preservation and use of a
historic building requires that the historic value is retained while
ensuring the safety and convenience of users.
The basic design of this building was made by two German architects
invited to Japan during the Meiji period, Hermann Ende and Wilhelm
Bockmann. The execution design was made by Kozo Kawai, who also supervised
the construction. The building was completed in 1895 as the former
Ministry of Justice.
In the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the building escaped significant
damage because the brick walls were reinforced with steel. However,
in the Great Tokyo Air Raid of 1945, the building was entirely burned
except for the brick walls. For this reason, the natural slate of
the roof was replaced with tiles in the repair work, and the exterior
of the building was greatly altered. The building had been used as
the Ministry of Justice since 1950.
When the Central Government Building No.6-A and No.6-B were constructed,
the red-brick building was refurbished by the Government Building
Department under the supervision of Teijiro Muramatsu and Masaaki
Horiuchi. In 1994 the exterior was restored to its original state,
and the building was reborn as the Research and Training Institute
of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice Library.
The building is a classic example of German neo-baroque architecture,
and on December 27, 1994 the building's exterior wall was designated
an Important Cultural Property in recognition of the great aesthetic
and historic value of the building.
Building Data
| Building name: |
Red-brick Building of the Central Government Building No.6 |
| Structure: |
Reinforced brick |
| Number of floors: |
3 |
| Building area: |
3,369 m2 |
| Total floor area: |
9,867 m2 |
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