The
Historically Rich Red Brick Buildings of Maizuru CityWaterfront atmosphere, cultural center and jazz festival backdrop
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the early 19th-century red brick buildings of Maizuru are a symbol of the city itself. Standing on the waterfront, facing the Japan Sea, they give the area a certain exotic feeling of the Japan entering the world of western culture. Some of them are lit up at night and their silhouettes are both fantastic and very romantic. In a way, you could say that Maizuru’s history is piled up in those red bricks and the natural surroundings they look out on to.
Maizuru’s Red Brick Storehouses
The 12 storehouses were built between the 1901 and 1921 as ordinance facilities for the Japanese navy. Mostly they were used to store torpedoes, gunnery systems, and other supplies. Most of the storehouses had railway tracks leading into them.
The red brick storehouses of Maizuru City are considered to be the most historically valuable buildings of their kind in all of Japan for two reasons. First, all of the buildings are still being used. The second reason is that these are the most red brick buildings in any single location in Japan.
It is also interesting to note the manner in which the bricks were laid. There are two brick laying techniques. In the French style the bricks are stacked in alternating rows: narrow side facing out, followed by the wide side facing out. In the simpler British style, which came into use in Japan at the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the bricks are all laid the same way: with the narrow side facing out. However, most of the Maizuru buildings were all built using the French style, even though it was no longer in use when the buildings were built. This also adds to their historical and cultural value.
Today, all but two of the buildings belong to private companies and are still used as warehouses, etc. The other two are public buildings. One of them is the Maizuru City Memorial Hall which has been functioning as an art and culture community center since 1994. The other one is a museum, which opened in 1993, devoted to bricks usage in four major world civilizations and remarkable brick buildings all over the world. Maizuru City Memorial Hall: 9:00-17:00; closed on Mon. and day after national holidays; Tel: 0773-66-1096. Red Brick Museum: open 9:00-17:00 (enter by 16:30); Tel: 0773-66-1095.
Summer Jazz Festa (early August)
Every summer, Maizuru hosts a large jazz festival against the historical backdrop of the red brick buildings facing the sea. The festival dates back to 1991 and was started as a way to meaningfully preserve Maizuru’s architectural heritage and as a way to attract people to area. During the festival, many superb jazz artists from all over the world come here to make music. Under the night sky, the sounds of jazz blend perfectly with the red brick buildings and their historical roots. For festival details, etc., call: 0773-63-7710.
To get to Maizuru’s Red Brick Buildings
Take the JR San-in Honsen line from Kyoto to Ayabe, and then take Maizuru line to Higashimaizuru station, the buildings are a 10-min. walk from the station.