Kita-ku Famous Places Information, Osaka

/ Genre - Structures and Buildings / Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall, Senpukan, and Mint

/ Area C - Horikawa, Takigawa / Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall, Senpukan, and Mint

  • The unique columns and arches are reminiscent of Greek architecture and the building is designated as an important cultural asset by the Japanese government.
  • No. 28

A treasure trove of cultural heritage where the sounds of civilization echo today

Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall, Senpukan, and Mint
【Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall】
1-1-1 Temmabashi , Kita-ku, Osaka
TEL 06-6881-3330
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Open to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays), closed second Wednesday of the month
【Senpukan】
1-1-1 Temmabashi , Kita-ku, Osaka
TEL 06-4301-7285（Osaka City General Call Center (Naniwa Call)）
Outside tours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Inside is open to the public around March each year)
Closed second Wednesday of the month, year-end/New Year holidays
【Mint Bureau and Mint Museum】
1-1-79 Temma , Kita-ku, Osaka
TEL 06-6351-6150
Mint Bureau (factory tour) is available with reservations (See the website for details)
Mint Museum 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. (Final entry: 4:00 p.m.)
Closed third Wednesday of the month, closed for one week in April during Osaka Mint Bureau Cherry Blossom Viewing, tours free of charge
  • 28　144
  • 建造物・ビル
  • You can touch real gold ingots over there! This bag of money is heavy… There are lots of activities at the museum!
  • Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall, Enjoy an elegant lunch in this building designated as an important cultural asset♫
  • Graceful verandas and colonial style
  • This is the front entrance to the old Mint. The brick Mint Museum seen in the rear left was originally a thermal power plant built in 1911.
  • The blossoms create a beautiful pink tunnel!

The Western influence brought with currency production

The Meiji government established a mint in Osaka as part of efforts to join the modern nations of the world. The new industry of currency production brought Western culture to Japan, vestiges of which remain to this day throughout the area.

You can touch real gold ingots over there! This bag of money is heavy… There are lots of activities at the museum!

The front entrance was relocated here from the original mint building and the Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall was reborn.

The Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall was built in 1935 as the Emperor Meiji Memorial Hall. The front entrance was relocated from the Old Mint Foundry built in 1871.
After the war, it was used as a public hall and library, then closed in 2007. Clues from old blueprints led to a restoration of the interior and the Japanese garden. Nowadays it is used for weddings and as a restaurant, and this once nearly forgotten historic building has been reborn as a place of happy memories.

Old Sakuranomiya Public Hall, Enjoy an elegant lunch in this building designated as an important cultural asset♫

The Mint was named “Senpukan” by Emperor Meiji.

Senpukan was built as a reception hall in 1871 when the old Mint was founded. It was designed by Thomas James Waters, the same architect that worked on many Western-style buildings in Japan at the start of the Meiji period, including the old Mint. Senpu means “currency,” and kan means “building,” a name that was given when Emperor Meiji visited.

Graceful verandas and colonial style

The symbol of Osaka, reborn as the city of finance thanks to the efforts of Tomoatsu Godai

The Mint celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021. The Meiji administration rebuilt the currency system in 1871 which was in disarray at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate era, rushing to establish a mint to catch up to more advanced countries. Tomoatsu Godai worked to modernize Osaka and establish it as a financial capital, so he purchased machinery from the Hong Kong Mint established by Great Britain, who was already advanced in this field.
The mint was built along the Okawa River, which offered easy access to abundant water. Of the nearly one billion pieces of currency minted annually in Japan, nearly 500 million were produced in Osaka. The anti-counterfeiting measures were some of the best in the world. Commemorative currency, medals, awards, and Olympic medals are also manufactured here. Visitors can view the currency production process on tours and enjoy a trip to the adjacent museum.

This is the front entrance to the old Mint. The brick Mint Museum seen in the rear left was originally a thermal power plant built in 1911.