Towards the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Western influence in
architecture began to show in buildings associated with the military and
trade, especially naval and industrial facilities. After the Emperor Meiji was restored to power (known as the Meiji Restoration) Japan began a rapid process of Westernization which led to the need for new building types such as schools, banks and hotels. Early Meiji Architecture was initially influenced by colonial architecture in Chinese treaty ports such as Hong Kong. In Nagasaki, the British trader Thomas Glover built his own house in just such a style using the skill of local carpenters. His influence helped the career of architect Thomas Waters who designed the Osaka Mint in 1868, a long, low building in brick and stone with a central pedimented portico.In Tōkyō, Waters designed the Commercial Museum, thought to have been the city's first brick building.
In Tokyo, after the Tsukiji area burnt to the ground in 1872, the government designated the Ginza
area as model of modernisation. The government planned the construction
of fireproof brick buildings, and larger, better streets connecting the
Shimbashi Station and the foreign concession in Tsukiji, as well as to important government buildings. Designs for the area were provided by the British architect Thomas James Waters;
the Bureau of Construction of the Ministry of Finance was in charge of
construction. In the following year, a Western-style Ginza was
completed. "Bricktown" buildings were initially offered for sale, later
they were leased, but the high rent meant that many remained unoccupied.
Nevertheless, the area flourished as a symbol of "civilisation and
enlightenment", thanks to the presence of newspapers and magazine
companies, who led the trends of the day. The area was also known for
its window displays, an example of modern marketing techniques. The
"Bricktown" of Ginza served as a model for many other modernisation
schemes in Japanese cities.
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