Read the building through its design

Interior Grandeur

Inside, visitors can observe wooden floors, high ceilings, tall windows, decorative molding, and formal room arrangements. These features create a sense of openness and authority associated with modern public institutions of the Meiji period.

Architecture as Political Message

Completed in 1894, the building expressed Japan’s ambitions as a modern nation-state. It was meant to be seen by both Japanese citizens and foreign observers as evidence that Japan possessed the institutions, authority, and sophistication of a modern government.