Official

The paving stones of Toden also contained Inada stone.

Of the many stones, this time we focused on "Inadaishi" mined in Ibaraki Prefecture.
According to the Kasama City Hall website, Inada stone is a type of granite formed by magma solidifying deep underground about 60 million years ago.
It is mined mainly in the Inada area of Kasama City, and is also known as "white lady" because of its whiteness, and is often used as a building material due to its high durability.

Ishikiri Mountains at Autumn Leaves, Photographed in 2017

It has been useful as a stone since the Edo period, and full-scale quarrying and processing started in 1889 in the Inada area!
Due to its close proximity to Tokyo and its abundant supply of excellent granite, it is also used in Japan's leading buildings such as National Diet Building, Supreme Court, and Tokyo Station, as well as for cobblestones on the streets of Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture, where Tokyo Bessha is located in Nihonbashihamacho.
(About the Ishikiri Mountains and Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture, the 2018 article "Rediscover the charm of Ibaraki! Please refer to the IBARAKI where sense shines."

Among the buildings in Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi, which is designated as an important cultural property, is also made of Inada stone.
According to the website of Chuo-ku, the bridge that has been replaced in 1911 to this day has been "loading granite on the surfaces of abutments and piers, and filling bricks and concrete inside." It seems to be made in consideration of load resistance.

Inada stone is also used in the Mitsui Main Building, which is also designated as an Important Cultural Property.
Mitsui Fudosan's website "10 Failments / 10 Fragments-4 Sculptures A Story that Colors the Buildings vividly." In addition, the granite production area used for the exterior of the Mitsui Main Building is Inada, Ibaraki Prefecture, and the stone processing was ordered separately by Nakanogumi, Kashiwagi-gumi, and Nabeshima Stone, and was located on Tsukuda Island, Tokyo. It is written that it was done at a processing plant.

The current Mitsui Main Building was completed in 1929 after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and is about to reach 100 years old.
However, Inada stone still retains its whiteness and has no noticeable deterioration over time.
At the time of construction, it seems that building materials were selected with an eye on the earthquake and the future.

Inada stone, such as Nihonbashi and Mitsui Main Building, is not limited to buildings that are more than 100 years old.
Inada stone is also used in the main building of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which was completed in 1988.
The website of Heiwa Real Estate, which was in charge of the construction, says, "The New Tokyo Stock Exchange Building with a solid stone wall made of the finest Inada stone is a style worthy of being called a symbol of Kabuto-cho."
Although the surrounding area is surrounded by skyscrapers, the solid feeling of the stone is also helping to give a particularly strong presence.

This time, from the Nihonbashi area, we introduced Nihonbashi, Mitsui Main Building, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and three buildings that use Inada stone, but there are other buildings in the ward that use Inada stone.
Speaking of building materials in Chuo-ku, there may be an image of bricks because the brick street was developed during the Meiji era.
However, various stones support the buildings of Chuo-ku and create stories without knowing them.
Why don't you look at stone materials such as Inada stone when walking around the town?

[Past article about bricks]
[The 7th Excursion Series] The story of bricks (November 2018)
[The 20th Excursion Series] Approaching Japan's first "# Ginza" that hit the head family "Ginza" (December 2019)