Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library
Neoclassical stone library crowned by a bronze dome, built entirely as a private gift to the city.
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About this audio guide
This guide to Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library follows Tomoito Sumitomo, heir to a merchant fortune, who returned from a tour of Europe and America in 1897 struck by how casually rich men there gave away money, and made Osaka an unheard-of offer: he would fund and build a public library himself. It traces his partnership with young architect Magoichi Noguchi as they chased a Greco-Roman look neither had built before, and what Sumitomo poured into the collection before the doors even opened. Look up at the bronze dome as you step inside.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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