The building presently serving as the main building of Kikukchi Keifuen’s history museum was once used as the sanatorium’s main office building. Established in 1951 to house an office, medical departments, and a research facility, it was a two-story reinforced concrete structure, a rarity at the time.
The tower standing in front of the building is called Kibo no To, or the Tower of Hope, and at the top of the tower used to hang a bell called Kibo no Kane, or the Bell of Hope. This bell was donated by the Takenaka Corporation, which undertook the construction of the former main office building. In November 1951, the bell was rung as a send-off for the first patient leaving the facility and returning to society after treatment for Hansen’s Disease with Promin. The tone of the bell and its striking chime, inspiring hope for the future, will have a place in the minds of those who were present to say farewell.