Former Ouchi Village Office
Last month, I stopped by to see the exterior of the Ouchi Museum in Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture.
This building was constructed in 1929 as the Ouchi Village Office.
I had made a pop-up card modeled after this building quite some time ago (2014), so I’d been wanting to see the real building.
Ouchi Village merged with Moka Town, Yamazaki Village, and Naka Village in 1954 to form Moka City. After the merger, this building became the Ouchi Branch of the Moka City Community Center, then it was renovated in 1988 and became the Ouchi Museum.
It is said to be the oldest full-scale reinforced concrete building in the Moka City and Haga County area.
It was designed by Fuketa Tokizo (1893-1962).
Originally from Tottori Prefecture, he enrolled as part of the first graduating class at Waseda Technical School, studying under Sato Koichi. After graduating, he worked for the Tochigi Prefecture Civil Engineering Department and the Kobe Electric Bureau before becoming Chief Designer for Utsunomiya City in 1919. He is credited with replacing the city’s predominantly wooden facilities with reinforced concrete structures.
In 1923, he founded the Fuketa Design Office. After participating in reconstruction efforts following the Great Kanto Earthquake, he worked on various buildings, primarily in Tochigi Prefecture.
The repeated semicircles: the triple arches at the entrance, the arches above the second-floor windows, and the semicircular window on the left… Semicircular windows also appear at the corners of the roof.
The window in the roof railing. Even from here, it’s unclear what the roof looks like, but aerial photos show it appears flat, with only a railing around the perimeter. There seems to be no stairwell or other apparent access point. Is it impossible to reach the roof?
The west side and rear of the building.
Went to the east side and rear.
I figured out how to get onto the roof. That ladder.
Ah, so they use that to climb up.
The square pattern above the triple arches serves as an accent. The central door behind it is the main entrance.
Although this building is called a museum, it doesn’t feel like it’s regularly open to the public. I suspect it’s primarily used as a storage facility, with exhibitions held only occasionally when the opportunity arises. (I haven’t confirmed this properly.)
Last summer, news reported that this museum hosted the “Moka Archaeological Exhibition: Excavated Treasures.” Apparently, this was organized by the “Ouchi History and Culture Research Society,” formed in May 2025 by local volunteers who had been engaged in activities preserving the area’s history and culture for several years.
I hope the society continues to develop in the future.
Personally, I really like the building’s style, but I can see rust forming around the entrance door, on the handrails, and on the rain gutters.
I hope they maintain it well and keep using the building for a long time.
[Reference] (written in Japanese)
“About the Founder” (Fuketa Design Co., Ltd. website)