擬洋風建築物群

函館市観光標識

函館は、安政６年（１８５９年）６月、横浜、長崎とともに日本の最初に貿易港として開港したことにより、西欧文化の影響を直接受けた。このため、建物や街並みに今もその面影をとどめており、とくに、山の手にある元町周辺は、各国の様式を備えた洋風の建物が多く見られる。その代表的な建物は、旧函館区公会堂（重要文化財）、旧北海道庁函館支庁庁舎（北海道指定有形文化財）や相馬株式会社社屋（後方の緑の建物）などであり、また、洋風の窓など一部様式を取り入れた和風建物としては、太刀川家住宅店舗（重要文化財）や旧金森洋物店（北海道指定有形文化財）などがある。　最も函館らしい建物は和洋折衷型の擬洋風建築物で、この辺りに多く見られる。これらの擬洋風建築物は一階が和風で二階が洋風、またその逆の場合や左右に分けられているほか、装飾をした縦長の窓や一階と二階の間の胴蛇腹、それにひさしの下にある装飾用コンソールが共通して見られる。　当時、函館の大工が領事館や教会など外国の建築様式を見て独特のスタイルを生んだものと言われている。　　函館市

IMITATION OF WESTERN BUILDINGS

Since June 1859 Hakodate port was opend at the same time sa Yokohama and Nagasaki、 which were the first Japanese trading ports. It was much affected by western culture directly. Buildings and a row of stores and houses on a street still give us some idea of former splendor. We can especially find western buildings with various country style around up town Motomachi. Old public Hall of Hakodate Ward (Designated Important Cultural property) 、 Old Building Oshima Branch Hokkaido Prefecture Government (Hokkaido's Cultural resources) and Some Cooporation(only in the back of the green building) are representative of the western style. The Tachikawa House (Designated Important Cultural Proerty) and Old Kanemori Haberdashers Shop (Hokkaido's cultural resources) are Japanese made. But in some parts there are wes tern influences such as in the windows、 etc. The buildings that have both Japanese style and western influence in them are most like Hakodate. There is much of this in this area. The first floor is Japanese and the second floor is western style or vice versa. Also there are some that the left half is Japanese and the right side is western. There are vertical decorated windows and a wave- like trim between the two levels every house has and a decorated console under the roof. The carpenters of Hakodate studied warious western building such as Consulate、 Churches etc. It is style said that they produced these houses from their own ideas.