In the early 20^th century Yokohama and Kobe were Japan’s first and second most important ports, places through which new foreign goods flowed and passengers embarked vessels to go abroad and discover new ideas and those coming to bring them back. Not as well remembered or known today is a third port on the northwestern shore of Kyushu that also flourished and provided an important economic link for Japan to the world.

Moji, today’s Mojiko, was the gateway to the southern island of steel and coal, Kyushu. It was designated a Special National Port in 1889 for exporting coal, rice, wheat and sulfur because of its proximity to China and status as a coal hub. It became even more important as Japan’s first steel mill at nearby Yahata/Yawata came online and more industries and export businesses flocked to the area bringing with them greater wealth and prestige. As well as its importance industrially, Moji linked Kyushu to Honshu via ferry and that terminal was within walking distance of Kyushu’s railway terminus allowing passengers to quickly move from across the nation, waterways be damned.

The area’s decline began with the 1942 completion of a larger Moji port and the older port being renamed Mojiko, which means “Moji Port.” The completion of the Kanmon Railway Tunnel, the world’s first undersea railway tunnel, that year bypassed the Mojiko railway terminus and allowed for direct railway travel between Kyushu and Honshu which also cut into its necessity as a ferry terminal. Its fortunes fell along with the demand for coal in the post-war era.

Moji, and Mojiko in particular, are not household names like Kobe and Yokohama but for a brief few decades it was a vital part of Japan’s economy and industry. Today it’s a small touristy district with beautiful architecture and a casual atmosphere making it hard to imagine the scope of Mojiko in its prime as a bustling center of activity, but what’s been left behind is a unique collection of places whose collective story is that of Japan’s modernization.

What stands out about Mojiko’s preserved historic buildings is that the bulk of them are from the Taisho era. There are preserved Edo era districts throughout the nation and a few places where clusters of red brick Meiji era architecture still stands tall but rarely do you see a predominantly Taisho town.

A short reign lasting only from 1912 until the Taisho Emperor’s (1879-1926) death in 1926, this is when Japan’s decades of modernization work began to bear domestic fruit. Having achieved industrialization in the last decade of Meiji, Japan was producing its own coal and steel which in the Taisho era was used to construct and fuel new technological wonders such Japan’s first mass-produced domestically designed steam engines in 1914 (Taisho 3) and the world’s first purpose built aircraft carrier in 1921 (Taisho 10).

The nation became more democratic with universal male suffrage and new liberal ideas were openly explored. Fashion, technology and all the latest crazes from around the world were now just as at home in Tokyo as they were in New York and Paris. Some of these ideas and people came ashore on Kyushu here at Mojiko.

Diverse new architectural styles also came along with the era and Mojiko’s Taisho buildings show a greater range of architectural diversity than the Meiji akarenga (red brick) that came just before and the Art Deco structures that went up just after. Today these mixed styles in such a small area give Mojiko a more colorful appearance than may be expected from a former shipping port.

(Though we’re focusing on the Taisho, we’ll also be visiting those too as we explore the full history of Mojiko’s heyday.)

To further enhance the district’s distinct Taisho flavor its common to see young women dressed in (rented) haikara hakama and kimono from the era and last year Sakura-Beer, made to its original 1913 (Taisho 2) recipe, was reintroduced to the local market.

At the heart of the Mojiko Retro Town historic district is what I think is its most beautiful structure and whether you came by train, car or rickshaw, the perfect place to start any visit is Mojiko Station.

Mojiko Station

Originally named Moji Station, this was the terminus for Kyushu rail travel. It was the gateway to Kyushu when it opened in 1914 (Taisho 3); at its peak it connected 880,000 ferry passengers arriving from Honshu as part of a continuous flow of mass transportation that spanned the country.

Recently restored inside and out to its Taisho era glamour, this Neo-Classical station is both centrally located and a beautiful reminder of the port’s glory days. Today it’s both an active train station and a free museum to be explored.

Mojiko Station was built in such an elegant way it feels like a private club that has train platforms behind it. There is so much detail in the wood and metal work from the baseboards to the ceiling, even the bathroom has an impressive stone wash basin. The station’s centrally mounted clock is also a historic feature as when it was installed in 1918 (Taisho 7) it was the first electric clock on Kyushu, following the leads of Tokyo and Yokohama stations.

Along with the Mitsui Club across the street I get the impression they wanted visiting notables to feel just as at home in Kyushu as they would in the capital because everyone had to pass through Moji. Even Emperor Taisho, Crown Prince Hirohito (future Emperor Showa) and his wife Crown Princess Nagako would relax in the upstairs guest room at least once while waiting for a train.

Last year it finished a seven year restoration, with the building being stripped down to its individual pieces and put back together again. Little bits of its history were rediscovered during the process and these artifacts are housed in a small museum space that’s easy to miss. Go through the station as if heading for the platforms then take a right and you’ll find it off to the side of the building. Every restored space also sports dual language signage explaining its original function and videos throughout the building share the station’s story.

This is also a good example of “they don’t build ‘em like they used to.” When it was built the assumption was Moji Station would be superseded in a decade once the undersea railway tunnel opened further down the track. (That prediction was about 20 years off.) You can see how much effort went into making the station look appropriate for its role while it was needed, but its underpinning are actually less solid. The station is just a wooden building covered in mortar meant to resemble stone. Yet a century later it’s still here and its replacement a few stops down the line is not.

It became the first train station designated an Important Culture Property in 1988 and along with Tokyo Station they are the only two train stations with that status. Both stationed open in 1914 (Taisho 3) and are night and day in style and scale but are among the most beautiful still standing train stations of that or any era.

The area around Mojiko Station has been branded Mojiko Retro Town, which is a little misleading. When I heard that I expected city blocks of historic buildings preserved as they were, like Vigan’s Mestizo district or Caernarvon’s walled city which are functioning cities that have kept their unique historic appeal. Mojiko is just a normal city ward but with preserved historic buildings in it, though not all maintain their original appearance and not all buildings in the area are historic. Researching for this article I was surprised to learn the really ugly bland building facing Mojiko Station is the former Nippon Yusen Kaishi (NYK) Moji Branch Office which was a modern Art Deco office building put up in 1927 (Showa 2) but multiple renovations have stripped off all of its character.

It’s a shame because NYK was one of Moji’s original businesses as their mail steamers were capable of calling on the fledgling port. It’s also still a big name in Japanese shipping; we’ve visited their preserved 1930s freight-passenger liner Hikawa Maru, which is berthed at Yokohama’s Yamashita Park.

So there are likely more of these older buildings in the area, but I wouldn’t exactly call these painted over shells retro nor are they all counted among the recognized historic buildings.

The other ugly and none-too impressive building beside Mojiko Station is the former Kyushu Railways Headquarters; originally the Mitsui Trading Co. third Moji branch office. When it was built in 1936 (Showa 11) the six-story office was the tallest building on the island of Kyushu. The Mitsui trading company was a zaibatsu, the equivalent of a modern mega corporation that dealt in banking, shipping and mining amongst many other… fields of endeavor. (Their Golden Bat cigarettes exported to China in World War II contained small amounts of opium to make them more addictive.) As a side note, this building and Mitsui Club across from it where constructed by architect brothers.

On the way over to the Kyushu Railway Museum as you cross the tracks keep an eye out for the Mile 0 Post; the previous beginning of the rails here on Kyushu before the construction of the current Mojiko Station.

Kyushu Railway Museum

The Kyushu Railway Museum is just across the tracks from Mojiko Station and is housed in the former Kyushu Railway Company (the original one) headquarters. The headquarters began operations in 1891 (Meiji 24) in conjunction with the opening of the first Moji Station, who’s main purpose was moving coal from Kyushu to the rest of Japan and later the world with the opening of the sea route to Dalian, China.

As mentioned earlier the Taisho era saw the introduction of Japan’s first domestically designed and mass produced engines, both for passenger and freight service. Fittingly, one of these first freight engines is the first train to greet visitors as they enter. 59634 is a 9600-series SL built in 1922 (the class dates from 1914) that serviced today’s Kitakyushu for decades before it was taken out of service. For context on how long steam stuck around, SL Hitoyoshi is a contemporary to 59634 and its passenger service equivalent, it retired from active service on Kyushu in 1978. (Though within a decade it began riding again as a nostalgia train.) By 1978 the Shinkansen bullet train had been in service for more than a decade.

There are about a dozen engines and cars on display and five are preserved inside and out so visitors can walk through them and imagine what it was like riding the rails from the age of steam to the 1960s. My favorites are the oldest ones. Outside there is a cream and orange diesel-powered 1937 (Showa 12) single-car train that feels like a big street car; it’s all wood interior was normal for its time but feels luxurious today.

There’s a 1909 (Meiji 42) passenger car inside the museum that is distinctly Japanese. Its tatami mat seats would have made your average Japanese feel at home and the backless seats meant a woman wearing full kimono with protruding obi in the back wasn’t bumping up against anything.

I also enjoyed the displays of train artifacts like old tickets, railway equipment and the nameplates of vintage trains. Pay attention to the train’s name next time you ride the Shinkansen. Names like Tsubame and Sakura belong to Shinkansen super expresses today but these are time-honored names which have been handed down through generations of Japanese long-distance passenger haulers and if you look you may just find its predecessor here.

For the kids or big kids there are model trains to play with or if you’re up to it, ride. Outside has a people-scaled train track with rideable midget engines. If you live on Kyushu I recommend stopping by the gift shop and picking up a train station keychain, they have keychain replicas of every JR Kyushu train station sign and it makes for a neat, uniquely Kyushu gift you can only get here.

(If you visit this museum you may want to consider making this a two-day Mojiko trip.)

Moji Mitsui Club

During the Taisho era the ideas from abroad came not just from returning Japanese but by invited guests who were experts and some of the great thinkers of the age; the biggest of which to pass through Mojiko was Dr. Albert Einstein. He came in Dec. 1922 (Taisho 11) as part of a 43-day lecture tour of Japan and was accommodated in the finest rooms of the Moji Mitsui Club. This suite is kept as it was during that time providing a look at how the other half lived on the go.

The half-timber club was built in 1921 (Taisho 10) by Mitsui. The zaibatsu maintained appropriately appointed facilities like this throughout the country to provide accommodations for dignitaries and company officials accustomed to certain standards of living anywhere in Japan.

The furniture in Einstein’s spacious rooms is gorgeous polished wood and the decorations from clocks to vases are quality antiques that add to the dignified atmosphere. The white-walled bathroom with its polished tile floor is bigger than my bedroom, the whole suite is easily the size of a half-dozen modern business hotel rooms combined.

Placards in English detail Einstein’s weeklong visit. He came to lecture in Fukuoka, but also took time to travel locally and learn about Japan. His activities are logged, but certain details also get fleshed out such as his playing violin for children on Christmas night after a day of lecturing in Fukuoka, his Japan “firsts” like pounding mochi rice cakes for New Year’s and sitting on tatami and what he thought of it all. It’s a niche interest you probably won’t see in any other museum.

The first floor is free to explore but the second requires a small entrance fee. Even if you don’t go upstairs to the Einsten suite the lobby is still worth looking around.

You can eat here and though it’s no longer the fine dining establishment it once was its worth considering for a meal. The local specialty dish is yakicurry, which is a curry on rice dish is served in a hot bowl or plate and cooked in an oven. Everyone makes it a little differently, and Mitsui’s curry is infused with the city’s prized bananas. It’s not as weird as it sounds; Japanese curries often have fruit discreetly added for flavor. Service-wise my wife described it as feeling like it was run by the neighborhood oba-chans, which you can take as you like.

Yakicurry can be found everywhere in Mojiko and a few standout places to try are Mojiko Retro Beer and Mitsubachi. The restaurants between Mojiko Station and the former OSK Building are also good.

Only three Mitsui Clubs survive today; along with Mojiko there is one in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Tokyo. Tokyo alone is still possessed by the current incarnation of Mitsui.

Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK) Moji Branch Office

The distinct red and grey Vienna Secessionist-style building near Mojiko Hotel is the former Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK) steamship co. Moji branch office. Thanks to its tower this was the tallest building in Moji when it went up in 1917 (Taisho 6). This is my second favorite exterior in Mojiko though unlike Mojiko Station the inside hasn’t been as well kept or restored.

What is Vienna Secessionist-style? Apparently popular in Europe but not so much in Mojiko as this is the one place built in it; it’s a less flowery more geometric off-shoot of Art Nouveau.  Packed into a tight space with the half-timber Mitsui Club, Neo-Renaissance Mojiko Station, (once) Art Deco NYK branch office and across from the stately red brick Customs House that appears to still be desperately clinging to the late 1800s this architectural cross-section of what was  hip at the time is part of Mojiko’s unique charm.

(I’m also taking the time to describe what Secessionist-style is because every place that mentions OSK building likes to bring up its Vienna Secessionist-style but no one ever explains what that’s supposed to mean.)

Downstairs has been reinvented as coffee shops, a gift shop and an art space. When I visited there was an exhibition of the work of manga artist Watase Seizo, who recreated many historic spots in Mojiko, I especially liked his old and new Mojiko Station illustrations. The home office where he created his art is also recreated in the building using antique furniture and items. Watase grew up in Kitakyushu.

Unlike the Mitsui Club the upstairs area is mostly empty, it’s not a preserved space but all the architectural details are still in place. It’s also free of charge.

Across the street is an eye-catching though not exactly historic building, Holme Ringer Co. Holme Ringer is an insurance company, which is importing in a shipping port. The current Holme Ringer is the successor to a company founded by Frederick Ringer, a British merchant who came to Japan in 1868 to supervise the lucrative tea trade conducted by Glover & Co. in Nagasaki. (Thomas Glover is another very influential foreigner that helped Japan modernize in enough ways to merit his own individual article.) In 1868 he and Edward Z. Holme started their own company which began with tea but expanded to trade in pretty much anything of value to include the coal passing through the Kanmon Strait. Establishing branch offices in Japan (Shimonoseki), Korea and Russia they acted as agents for insurance and shipping companies. They also had a hand in flour milling, petroleum storage, whaling and helped bring electricity to the country.

The original company was forced to shut down in 1940 and the owner Sydney Ringer fled the country. The current incarnation was founded by former employees of the original company and set up shop in Mojiko in 1962. Ringer’s legacy is greatest in Nagasaki, where his home has been preserved in a museum overlooking the Mitsubishi shipyard and the Ringer Hut fast food chain which sells Nagasaki’s local dish champon was named for him.

NTT Communications Museum (Moji Post Office Telephone Department)

As far physically as it is architecturally from the Neo-classical Mojiko Station and its adjacent Taisho architecture is the NTT Communications Museum. The museum was originally the Moji Post Office Telephone Department, which was built in 1924 (Taisho 13) and was Moji’s first Modern-architectural style building having been inspired by contemporary German modernist architecture.

As women became more independent in the more liberal Taisho era, like in the West a greater number began seeking employment outside the home at places such as the telephone department. When it opened this building employed 300 female telephone operators.

Inside this free museum feels to have one of every telephone produced in Japan from the 1800s to the late twentieth century including those cute pink pay phones and clunk satellite phones. The museum has a few interactive exhibits including two replica phones from 1896 and 1903 you can step inside. An exposed 1960s telephone switchboard is set up so you can see how it works while making a call on one of the nearby vintage telephones.

This museum is a little bit of a walk outside of the core Mojiko Retro Town, it takes about 20 minutes from Mojiko Station.

In the next article we’ll be looking into more of the industrial and shipping side of the story which covers the Meiji, Taisho and very early Showa eras with everything from a customs warehouse, to a brewery in nearby Dairi, and a swank Art Deco passenger terminal.

 

REFERENCES

A really good website and resource that I used in writing this is Japan Heritage Kanmon Strait, which lays out a lot of information and shows places to see in both Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki, which someday I’ll also write about. While I picked up a lot of background information from on-site signage and pamphlets, this website goes much further.

https://www.japanheritage-kannmon.jp/index.cfm?language001=en

https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1969/

Mojiko Station

http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/company/mojiko_sta/english/aisatu/index.html

Sakura Beer

https://mojibeer.ntf.ne.jp/sakurabeer/

http://www.brewers.or.jp/english/09-history.html

 

Nagasaki: The British Experience 1854-1945 by Brian Burke-Gaffney