HISTORY 丸福樓の歴史

The former Nintendo headquarters at Yamauchi was built in 1933 (Showa 8)
by Fusajiro Yamauchi, the company’s founder, along with his wife and son, Sekiryō.
"This building, consisting of three structures, served as the company office, residence, and warehouse.
The design of the three buildings was carried out by Kumazo Masaoka of Masaoka Architectural Office, with the construction of each building occurring at slightly different times.
While each building features a distinct design, the exterior walls are unified by the use of brick tiles (Scratch Tiles) arranged geometrically,
similar to those used on the Ponto-cho Kabuki Theatre.
The design emphasizes horizontal lines and follows the modern style of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Meanwhile, the office building facing the main street is a complete example of Western Art Deco architecture,
characterized by straight lines, resembling those drawn with a ruler, and continuous curves that evoke the use of a compass.
In contrast, the residence and warehouse buildings adopt the Imperial Crown style, which emerged in the 1930s,
incorporating modernist elements with traditional Japanese architectural features.
This blend reflects the influence of the era’s fascination with combining Western and Japanese styles, showcasing a beautiful fusion of both.
*Wright type: Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1959) American architect.
Along with Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, he is known as the "three great masters of modern architecture".
Representative buildings in Japan include the former Imperial Hotel and Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan.
*Teikan style: An architectural style popular in the 1930s with a tiled roof on top of a reinforced concrete body.

In September 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi bought a vacant house nearby.
"Nintendo Karuta" (Yamauchi Fusajiro Shoten) was founded in that place.
The company manufactured and sold Hanafuda and Karuta cards, and in 1902, 13 years after its founding, it began manufacturing Japan's first playing cards.
After that, it moved here (Kyoto City, Shimogyo Ward, Shomen-dori Kiyamacho Higashi-iru),
In 1933, the company began its Nintendo porcelain business under the name Yamauchi Nintendo Partnership.
In 1949, the company changed its name to Marufuku Karuta Sales Co., Ltd. (formerly Marufuku Co., Ltd.).
The business continued in this location until 1959.

In April 2022, it will open as a hotel < MARUFUKURO >.
Designed and supervised by Tadao Ando, the predecessor of Nintendo
The predecessor of Nintendo, whose main business was the manufacture and sale of karuta playing cards.
The name of <Marufuku Co., Ltd.> was added to the name of the hotel.
The hotel consists of three buildings, two of which are "existing buildings" with three stories above the ground,
One of the buildings is a 4-story "new building" (a part of the existing building was dismantled and repaired and then expanded).
Site area: 802㎡, total area: 1716.08㎡
(Existing building: 1180.60 m2, New building: 535.48 m2, Number of guest rooms: 18 rooms, 33 m2 to 79 m2 each)
All structures are made of reinforced concrete.
Renovation of existing building and design of new building with Tadao Ando Architect & Associates (Osaka City)
Nomu Architectural Design Office (Kyoto City) and Obayashi Corporation worked on the construction.
The existing building and the new building are connected side by side, advocating a fusion of old and new that strongly retains the memories of the time of its founding.
Create a comfortable place to spend time while making adjustments so as not to overwork the existing building
Started as a renovated hotel.