Facility Introduction | Birthplace of Naoteru and Naoharu Kataoka

This is the origin of two brothers who were active in Japan’s business world in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras.

The birthplace of Naoteru and Naoharu Kataoka is the family home of Naoteru Kataoka, first president of Osaka Gas, and of Naoharu Kataoka, who served as Minister of Finance following his involvement in the establishment of the Nippon Life Assurance Company. The home was renovated in Taisho 5 (1916) and restored in Heisei 30 (2018) after the passage of over a century.

This timber hipped-roof bungalow is constructed in modern Japanese architecture featuring Sukiya-style and plaster designs. It exhibits the fittings of a country samurai residence and architectural elements thought to have been brought back from the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area.

Adjacent to the home remains a Japanese garden where visitors can enjoy flowers through all four seasons and that beckons guests into a calming, comfortable realm.

The home has a hipped roof, gableboards, and walls surfaced in Tosa plaster. Left-handed tiles are used for the roof tiling. This timber hipped-roof bungalow, with 8.5 intervals between columns and 4.5 intervals between beams, is constructed in modern Japanese architecture featuring Sukiya-style and plaster designs. It exhibits the fittings of a country samurai residence and architectural elements thought to have been brought back from the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area. Its overall plan emphasizes the relationship between the main house and the garden. The western side of the stone wall features stonework based on curved lines.