Die vielen Leben der Janes’ Residenz in Kumamoto, Japan

This study traces the eventful history of the Janes’ Residence in Kumamoto City, southern Japan, from the beginning of its existence to the present day. The changes in use, condition and location of the building are explained and placed in a further global historical context. The Janes’ Residence was a western-style mansion built for the family of Leroy Lansing Janes, who was hired as a teacher at the Kumamoto Western School in 1871. Until the 1930s, it played an important role in international and domestic knowledge exchange as part of an educational institution and later as a component of the commercial museum and exhibition area in Kumamoto City. The latter function has been neglected in most literature and will therefore be considered here. The Janes’ Residence is known as the birthplace of the Japanese Red Cross Society. During the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, the permission for the establishment of Hakuaisha, a relief organisation, was granted on its premises. An iconic building, the Janes’ Residence was owned by the Kumamoto Red Cross from 1932 to 1970. In a new and central location, it supported health services and miraculously escaped bomb damage during the Second World War. Thereafter, the Janes’ Residence became property of Kumamoto City and was moved next to the historical Suizenji Garden, where it served as a museum. Until it was completely destroyed by the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016, the Janes’ Residence was the oldest preserved western style building in Kumamoto City and Prefecture.