Sawada Mansion in Kochi City Remains to be Completed Even After More than Half a Century
An amateur couple built addition after addition to the "Japanese Kowloon Castle," which has now become a tourist attraction that attracts a flood of visitors.
It takes about 10 minutes by car from the center of Kochi City. As one enters the building from the national highway, a huge white building suddenly appears (first photo).
It is the Sawada Mansion, known as the “Kuryu Castle of Japan. The owner, Yoshinori Sawada and his wife Hiroe (78), who were amateurs in construction, have been self-building and expanding the five-story building with approximately 70 units since 1971, and it is also called the “Sagrada Familia of Japan.
When we actually visited the property, there were dozens of visitors, even though it was a weekday afternoon. According to Hiroe, “Many tourists come here because of the spread of videos and other information.
Even on weekdays, we receive 20 visitors a day, and during major holidays, more than 50 people come to visit. There are many architecture students, foreigners, and especially young people these days. We also have an increasing number of people who have moved to our house from Tokyo.
A man in his 30s from Osaka said excitedly, “There are interesting things everywhere. It’s like a maze,” he said excitedly. The ramps and spiral staircases leading to the upper floors, the handmade lifts, and other details are so full of freewheeling ideas that it is difficult to keep track of where you are.
As one continues strolling, fields and fishing ponds suddenly come into view, and pigs and chinchillas kept in the apartments appear, making for quite a chaotic experience. Hiroe continues.
Hiroe continues, “The father’s goal was to create an apartment where residents could interact with each other. The slope and the wide veranda were also part of that intention. Some university professors have re-evaluated the value of the building and are incorporating it into their own research. The residents have lived here for more than 50 years and are very attached to the property, so I hope that they will observe the bare minimum of manners when touring the property.
