A Collection Centered on the First-Generation Toyota Crown
The museum was established in 2003 by Katsuyoshi Maehara to share a private collection of automobiles that he had carefully collected and preserved over many years.
The collection focuses mainly on Toyota vehicles produced during the 1950s and 1960s. One of the museum’s major highlights is the first-generation Toyota Crown, popularly known in Japan as the “Kangaroo-door Crown” because of its distinctive rear-hinged doors.
The Crown is an important model in the history of Japanese passenger cars and is closely associated with the period of rapid economic growth that transformed postwar Japan. Seeing an early Crown at close range offers visitors an opportunity to appreciate the engineering, styling, and aspirations of an era when Japanese automobile manufacturing was developing rapidly.
A Second-Generation Crown with an International Story
Another particularly fascinating vehicle is a second-generation Toyota Crown that reportedly spent approximately 40 years driving in the Americas before eventually returning to Japan.
Its long journey provides a glimpse into the international history of Japanese automobiles and the growing presence of Japanese-made vehicles overseas. For automobile enthusiasts, the vehicle’s history is almost as interesting as the car itself.
Other Classic Japanese Vehicles
The collection also includes a variety of other vehicles, including the Toyota Sprinter Carib and four-wheel-drive models such as the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Each vehicle reflects the technology, design trends, and lifestyles of its particular period. Viewing these automobiles together makes it possible to trace some of the changes that took place in Japanese car culture over several decades.
The Building Itself Is Part of the Attraction
One of the museum’s most distinctive features is the historic building in which the automobiles are displayed. The museum makes use of a former Iizuka Textile factory with a sawtooth roof, known in Japan as nokogiri-yane.
The substantial exterior is constructed partly with Oya stone, a volcanic tuff traditionally used as a building material in Japan. The factory was originally constructed approximately 80 years ago for textile production.
In 2005, the building was registered as a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property under the name “MAEHARA20th (Former Iizuka Textile Factory).”
Sawtooth-Roof Factories and Kiryu’s Textile Heritage
Kiryu has prospered for centuries as a center of textile production, particularly silk weaving. More than 200 sawtooth-roof factory buildings are still said to remain in the city.
The distinctive sawtooth roof was designed to allow stable natural light from the north to enter the factory. This made the interior well suited to textile production while helping workers maintain consistent lighting conditions.
Today, the combination of historic industrial architecture and classic Japanese cars creates a scene that is particularly characteristic of Kiryu. Visitors can appreciate both the automobiles and the industrial heritage that helped shape the city.
An Oil Painting Gallery and a Calm Cultural Atmosphere
In addition to the automobile exhibition area, the museum includes a gallery displaying oil paintings.
The powerful presence of classic cars contrasts beautifully with the quiet atmosphere of the artwork. This combination gives the museum a more relaxed cultural character than a conventional automobile exhibition.
Visitors can therefore enjoy the space not only as a destination for car enthusiasts, but also as a place where automotive history, art, architecture, and local culture come together.
Combining the Museum with a Kiryu Walking Tour
Historic shrines, traditional buildings, and other traces of Kiryu’s past can be found throughout the surrounding area, making the museum a natural stop during a walking tour of the city.
Exploring the streets that preserve the atmosphere of Kiryu’s textile-producing past and then visiting the automobile museum provides an opportunity to see two sides of the city’s industrial history.
For international visitors, this combination is especially interesting because it shows how traditional textile manufacturing and modern Japanese automobile culture developed within the same regional community.
A Meeting Point of Classic Cars and Japanese Industrial Heritage
Kiryu Automobile Museum is a distinctive destination where historic automobiles and industrial heritage can be experienced in the same setting.
The classic cars preserved inside the former textile factory evoke memories of Japan’s Showa era, while the sawtooth-roof architecture recalls Kiryu’s long history as a textile-producing town. Together, they tell a broader story of Japanese craftsmanship, manufacturing, and social change.
Whether you are passionate about classic cars, interested in Japanese industrial history, or simply enjoy discovering unusual cultural attractions, the museum offers a memorable experience in Kiryu.
Take time to admire the vehicles up close, look carefully at the historic factory building, and consider the generations of people who worked in Kiryu’s textile industry and helped shape the city’s development. The meeting of classic automobiles, traditional architecture, and local history is what makes Kiryu Automobile Museum such a distinctive stop on a Gunma sightseeing itinerary.