According to Ministry of Culture, the police dormitory located at Jinxue Road, Jiali district in Tainan City, has been designated as a historic building, Tainan Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage (TMACH) announced.
The place was formerly owned by the Japanese martial arts organization Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (大日本武德會, DNBK), it is one of the buildings constructed during the Japanese colonial era.
The architectural technique of the building shows the evolution of Japanese-style houses during the period of Japanese rule, it has been approved by the review committee as a historic building in Tainan City and registered under the name "Former Dai Nippon Butoku Kai House (原大日本武德會社宅)."
Director of TMACH Lin Chiao-ping (林喬彬) stated that, according to the preliminary investigation results by experts and scholars, commissioned by TMACH, DNBK was established to manifest and revitalize martial arts.
Ministry of Culture mentions, the martial arts organization had engaged in construction and salt field businesses and built some housing units at Jiali district in Tainan. After the Second World War, the building housing the organization was taken over by the police department and has been used as a dormitory.
Lin added that, the building's layout and architectural technique of Japanese-style houses are well-preserved. The homocentric square-shaped corridor connects the different spaces, each with a view of the garden. This design differs from the usual Japanese-style official residence.
Ministry of Culture explains DNBK was originally established in 1895 in Kyoto, Japan, under the authority of the Ministry of Education and sanction of the Emperor Meiji. Its purpose, at that time, was to standardize martial disciplines and systems throughout Japan. This was the first official martial arts organization sanctioned by the government of Japan. It stressed the martial virtues of samurai warriors and incomparable historical excellence in martial disciplines. In 1946, after the end of World War II, the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers issued a directive to dissolve all military-related organizations, and the DNBK was broken up.
