西洋館とは、開国から第二次世界大戦までの時代に日本で建設された西洋の建築様式を用いた建物です。
幕末の開国後、外国人居留地に彼らの住居として建設されたのが始まりだった。その時は来日した外国人建築家による建設が主だった。
そして、初めて目にするその建築様式に刺激を受けた日本の職人が、見様見真似で次第に各地で西洋館を建設するようになった。
さらにその後、英国人建築家コンドルにより本格的な建築教育を受けた日本人建築家による、本格構造の西洋館が建設されるようになっていった。
Western-style houses are buildings which were constructed in Japan with a Western architectural style during the period between the opening of this country and the World War 2.
After the opening of the county at the end of Edo period, they started being build in enclaves for foreigners as their residence. At that time, they were mainly designed by foreign architects who had come to Japan.
Then Japanese craftsmen got stimulated by the architectural style that they saw for the first time, and they gradually started building Western houses in many places just by copying the real examples.
After that, Western-style houses with a full-blown construction were being built by Japanese architect properly educated by an English architect, Conder.
