(Saitama Prefecture designated cultural property) Former Honjo Police Station. It was built in 1883 in the Corinthian style and is said to be Honjo's first authentic Western-style building.

Closed on February 29, 2020. There are no plans to release the information internally in the future. I hope that it will be released at least once a year, such as on Culture Day.

The Western-style architecture and decoration of the Meiji era are also spectacular. The age and creaking are also important items that tell us about the time. You should experience it.

It's worth a visit just to meet Japan's oldest mascot characters, Haniponko and the smiling Haniwa. He will explain in detail the history of Honjo, from excavated artifacts to how it prospered as a post town and became a center for shipping raw silk. There is also a parking lot, so it would be a good idea to visit here first and sightsee around Honjo.

Honjo-Saitama Old Police Station, the first Western-style building built in 1883, now a Historical Museum and a Heritage Site of Honjo City, it is near Honjo Station, about 15 minutes walking, the manager is very friendly, inside the museum you can see many antiques from the time...

The former Honjo Police Station building, built in 1898, has been renovated and turned into a folklore museum. There are several parking spaces available in front of the building. Admission is free. On the first floor, there are displays of clay clay and Jomon pottery excavated in the neighborhood, and on the second floor, there are explanations and materials on the history of Honjo as a post town in the Edo period, as well as fragments of bombs that fell on Honjo during World War II, and the history of Japan. There are also a few exhibits of military supplies. The building is nicely painted, but the pillars and floors feel a little creaky when you walk on them, making it very quaint and very cozy. The male staff were very kind, and since Honjo is close to the Tone River, during the Edo period, boats were floated on the Tone River to trade with Edo (transportation at that time was mainly done by waterways, not by land). He told me an interesting story about how the inn was the largest post town on the Nakasendo route, with 69 post stations. In any case, not only was it once the largest post town on the Nakasendo route, but the fact that many Jomon pottery and clay clay figures have been unearthed here proves that humans have lived here for thousands of years. Therefore, you can learn about the long history of Honjo City, which is not found in other emerging cities.

This is a Western-style building built in 1896 as the Honjo Police Station. There were many stone pagodas lined up in the garden.

The History and Folklore Museum has restored and renovated the former Honjo Police Station (prefecture-designated cultural property), which was built in 1889, and uses the interior as an exhibition room. Characteristics of Western-style architecture from the Meiji period can be seen throughout the building. <Shield Bearer Haniwa (Kojima)> Honjo City designated cultural property. Excavated from a mountain burial mound in Kojimae. This is a laughing figure clay figure that has rarely been unearthed anywhere in the country, and the one in the center is a model of Honjo City's mascot, ``Hanipon.'' (around the end of the 6th century) <Shield Bearer Haniwa (Kojima)> Honjo City designated cultural property. Excavated from a mountain burial mound in Kojimae. This is a laughing figure clay figure that has rarely been unearthed anywhere in the country, and the one in the center is a model of Honjo City's mascot, ``Hanipon.'' (around the end of the 6th century) Yugigata Haniwa <Yugi-shaped Haniwa (Kitahori Marigold Hill)> The eyelid is a tool that is used to hold arrows and is carried on the back. It was excavated from the Haniwa kiln site behind Yushoji Temple (a prefecturally designated historic site), which is one of the few confirmed cases of a clay kiln in the prefecture. (around the end of the 6th century) glass bead mold <Glass ball mold (sunrise)> Excavated at the Yakushido Higashi Ruins during the construction of the Honjo Higashi Junior High School building. This is the first time in Japan that it has been excavated in its complete form, and it also has the largest number of fragments in Japan. (around 7th century) inner ear clay pot <Inner ear clay pot, small white porcelain plate, etc. (Higashi Igoshi)> The site where this relic was unearthed is the Isogo Camp, which heralds the beginning of the Sengoku period in the Kanto region, and is where the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi clan set up camp for about 20 years. Tamura Honjin Rest Book <Tamura Honjin Rest Book> Records of feudal lords and government officials who stayed at the main shrine of Honjo-juku during the Edo period. The photo below is a record of where Princess Kazunomiya stayed when she was married to Shogun Iemochi. ridge tag <Building tag> The building tag of the Honjo Police Station when it was established in 1896. The construction contractor, Tomizo Tsunoda, is from Misato, and the architectural committee members include Moroi, Tamura, and other influential people in the area.

The building itself, which was built in 1883 (Meiji 16), is amazing, but you can also meet the city's character, Hanipon Moto!

Super local hidden gem please ask me once You can see black-and-white photos of Honjo Station, where the steam locomotive line stopped, when it was founded, and the state of the town at the time.

The smiling haniwa is cute and bigger than I expected! It overturns the concept of haniwa that we have seen in textbooks. Since it was a weekday and there were no other visitors, I learned a lot from the staff's explanations. Despite the small exhibition space, there were many valuable exhibits that I enjoyed.

Tools and valuable earthenware used in the past. There are a lot of materials, and the building is maintained in good condition. It's a place where you can feel that everything is an important heritage, so it's worth visiting at least once.