Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
The Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall, located beside Kuragaike Park, was built in 1974 by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The modernist building was designed by Maki Fumihiko (b. 1928) to celebrate the manufacture of the company’s 10 millionth vehicle. The hall is both a guesthouse for VIPs visiting the company headquarters and a public museum dedicated to the history of Toyota Motor.
The museum features an interactive history of the company, beginning with its forerunner, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, founded by Toyoda Sakichi (1867–1930). Two of Sakichi’s innovative looms are on display, and they still work. A series of dioramas in the main exhibition room illustrate key points in the history of automobiles in Japan. They also explain the history of Toyota Motor, founded by Sakichi’s son, Toyoda Kiichiro (1894–1952). There is a model of the company’s first factory, built in 1938 in what is now the city of Toyota, along with two full-size Toyota cars.
The Kuragaike Art Salon exhibits art owned by Toyota, including works by domestic and international artists such as Hirayama Ikuo (1930–2009) and Claude Monet (1840–1926). Outside the hall is Toyoda Kiichiro’s Former Residence. The three-story 1930s house was designed by Suzuki Teiji (1870–1941) and was originally built on the outskirts of Nagoya. It was renovated and moved to its current location in 1999.