Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall

Toyota-Area

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The Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall, located beside Kuragaike Park, was built in 1974 by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The modernist building was designed by Maki Fumihiko (b. 1928) to celebrate the manufacture of the company’s 10 millionth vehicle. The hall is both a guesthouse for VIPs visiting the company headquarters and a public museum dedicated to the history of Toyota Motor Corporation.

The museum features an interactive history of the company, beginning with its forerunner, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, founded by Toyoda Sakichi (1867–1930). Two of Sakichi’s innovative looms are on display, and they still work. A series of dioramas in the main exhibition room illustrate key points in the history of automobiles in Japan. They also explain the history of Toyota Motor, founded by Sakichi’s son, Toyoda Kiichiro (1894–1952). There is a model of the company’s first factory, built in 1938 in what is now the city of Toyota, along with two full-size Toyota cars.

The Kuragaike Art Salon exhibits art owned by Toyota, including works by domestic and international artists such as Hirayama Ikuo (1930–2009) and Claude Monet (1840–1926). Outside the hall is Toyoda Kiichiro’s Former Residence. The three-story 1930s house was designed by Suzuki Teiji (1870–1941) and was originally built on the outskirts of Nagoya. It was renovated and moved to its current location in 1999.

Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall: Exhibits

The Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall has a range of exhibits dedicated to a key chapter in the history of the Japanese automobile industry. The museum focuses on the life of Toyoda Kiichiro (1894–1952) and his founding of the Toyota Motor Corporation.

The story begins with Kiichiro’s father, Toyoda Sakichi (1867–1930), who invented the Toyoda Power Loom in 1896. He designed the Toyoda Automatic Loom Type G with his son in 1925, which was the first fully automatic loom in Japan. Working versions of both looms are on display in the hall. Sakichi sold the patent for his Type G loom to a company in the United Kingdom, and Kiichiro used some of the proceeds to begin working on an automobile. A 15-minute video in the main exhibition room summarizes the challenges Kiichiro faced both before and after founding Toyota Motor Corporation.

A series of intricate dioramas, complete with voices and sound effects, illustrates key points in the company’s history. These include the disassembly of a Chevrolet car in 1933 and the public test run of the A1 prototype car in 1935. There are one-fifth scale models of the company’s cars and trucks from the 1930s and 1940s and a detailed model of the first Toyota manufacturing plant. The Koromo plant (now known as Toyota Honsha plant) opened in 1938 in what is now the city of Toyota. It was the first full-scale automobile factory in Japan and had company housing, a hospital, and a school. The plant was ahead of its time and made the city a center of Japan’s car industry.

Two of the company’s most significant cars are on display in the center of the room. The Model AA Sedan from 1936 is the first Toyota passenger car and was developed from the A1 prototype. The car is in original showroom condition, although it does not have any of its electrical components. Across from the Model AA sits a fully working Toyopet Crown Model RS. It was released in 1955 and was the first car made entirely in Japan, the first Toyota car exported to the US, and is still one of the company’s most successful models.

Outside the main exhibition room is the Kuragaike Art Salon. This small art gallery displays rotating seasonal exhibitions of paintings owned by the company. These include works by Japanese and international artists, such as Hirayama Ikuo (1930–2009) and Claude Monet (1840–1926).

Annual Events

Kuragaike Art Salon Planned Exhibitions

Several planned exhibitions are held throughout the year. The artwork is carefully selected according to the theme of each exhibition. The salon is highly regarded for opportunity it affords to enjoy sophisticated art to the fullest.

Column: Toyota, How One Man's Dream Became a World Icon

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Address	〒471-0001 Minami-250 Ikeda-cho, Toyota City
Cost	Free admission
Business hours	9:30 to 17:00
Parking	Free parking is available for 22 passenger cars and 6 large buses.
Closed	Mondays (closed the following day if a holiday)/ year end and New Year period
Directions by public transportation	Toyota-shi Sta. (Meitetsu Toyota Line/Meitetsu Mikawa Line) - (Meitetsu Bus Yanami Line) - alight at Kuragaike Koen-mae bus stop
Directions by car	5 min. from the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway Toyota-Kanpachi Interchange