Ijokaku (Sun-Yet Sen Memorial Hall)

Ijokaku (Sun-Yet Sen Memorial Hall)

Ijokaku, or the Sun-Yet Sen Memorial Hall, is a facility that commemorates Sun-Yet Sen, a revolutionary, politician, and thinker of modern China.
It was opened in November 1984 in order to deepen visitors' understanding about the history of relationship between modern Japan and China, and to contribute to development of friendship between China and Japan and their academic exchange.
The building is a part of a villa built in 1915 by Chinese businessman Wu Jintang, who was active then in Kobe.
The octagonal, three-story Ijokaku was the venue of the welcoming party for Sun-Yet Sen when he visited Kobe on March 14, 1913.
Later, in November 1983, the ownership of the building was transferred in a donation from the Kobe Chinese Residents Association, which had managed Ijokaku.
The building was moved to the foot of the Great Akashi Strait Bridge and reopened in April 2000. The government designated it as a national important cultural property in November 2001. In the hall, the life of Sun-Yet Sen and his exchange with the people of Kobe are introduced, along with exhibits of his handwritings and personal belongings.