Rokumeikan
The was a large two-story building in Tokyo, completed in 1883, which became a controversial symbol of Westernisation in the Meiji period. Commissioned for the housing of foreign guests by the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru, it was designed by British architect Josiah Conder, a prominent Western adviser working in Japan.
Key facts
- Building.name
- Rokumeikan
- Building.image
- Tokyo-Rokumeikan-zenmen-1883-1900.jpg
- Building.caption
- The Rokumeikan around 1883–1900, Tokyo
- Building.building_type
- Residence
- Building.architectural_style
- French Renaissance
- Building.cost
- 40,000 yen
- Building.location
- Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Building.address
- 1-1-7, Uchisaiwaicho
- Building.location_country
- Japan
- Building.construction_start_date
- 1881
- Building.completion_date
- 1883
- Building.inauguration_date
- 28 November 1883
Article
11 sectionsContents
- History
- Background
- Construction
- The Rokumeikan era
- Later years
- Name
- Allusions in literature
- Location
- References
- Notes
- External links
The was a large two-story building in Tokyo, completed in 1883, which became a controversial symbol of Westernisation in the Meiji period. Commissioned for the housing of foreign guests by the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru, it was designed by British architect Josiah Conder, a prominent Western adviser working in Japan.
Although the Rokumeikan's heyday was brief, it became famous for its parties and balls, which introduced many high-ranking Japanese to Western manners for the first time, and it is still a fixture in the cultural memory of Japan. It was, however, largely used for the accommodation of guests of the government, and for meetings between Japanese who had already lived abroad.