A School That Never Stopped Teaching
On the Kusumoto campus of Aichi Gakuin University, in the eastern part of Nagoya, one building has been holding classes in the same rooms since 1928. It was raised that year, the third of the Showa era, as the main hall of the old-system Aichi Middle School. The school itself reaches further back: its origins lie in a Soto Zen branch academy founded in 1876, which moved to the Kusumoto-cho site in 1921 and took the name Aichi Middle School in 1925.
When postwar reform brought Aichi Gakuin University into being in 1953, the middle-school hall was not torn down or replaced. It simply carried on as a university building, and it still serves the Kusumoto campus today, alongside the pharmacy and dentistry faculties that study there.
The structure is reinforced concrete, two storeys high, with a footprint of roughly 805 square metres. It sits on the slope below Kakuozan, a short walk from Motoyama subway station.
Registered, Not Designated, and the Lineage Behind It
Japan protects its older buildings in two main ways. The better-known route is designation, the process that produces National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. The other, introduced in 1996, is registration: a lighter framework created for the large stock of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century buildings that give modern Japanese towns their character. Building No. 1 was entered on the national register on 16 January 1998, gazetted the following month, under the criterion that recognises a building as a standard of design. The registration number is 23-0008.
The design carries a clear pedigree. It was drawn by Sato Saburo, a graduate of Nagoya Higher Technical School, today Nagoya Institute of Technology, who had studied under Suzuki Teiji both at the school and at Suzuki's own architectural office. Suzuki (1870 to 1941) did more than almost anyone to turn Nagoya from a city of timber into one of brick and concrete. He taught architecture at the technical school, opened one of the city's first private design offices, and was sometimes called the Tatsuno Kingo of the Tokai region after the architect of Tokyo Station. He was also brother-in-law to the novelist Natsume Soseki, their wives being sisters. Building No. 1 is the work of his pupil, and it shows the restrained classicism that Suzuki's circle favoured.
The City of Nagoya had recognised the building earlier still, listing it in 1991 as an important structure for the urban landscape.
What to Look For
The composition reads clearly from the street. The centre of the long east-west front rises into a triangular pediment, and an arched porch sits below it to frame the main entrance, giving the building a strong central face. To either side, the wings are lined with square pilasters that run the full height of both floors. Across their tops rests a horizontal member carrying round roof tiles, a detail that slips a Japanese roofing element into an otherwise Western classical scheme.
Look at the ends of the building. The two end bays step forward slightly, tightening the whole elevation and keeping the long façade from feeling flat. The walls are clad in brown scratch tiles, their combed surface catching daylight unevenly and lending the building the settled, unhurried look of a place of study.
A restoration in 1986 returned the exterior to its original appearance, so what visitors see today is close to the building of 1928.
Around the Campus
The Kusumoto campus lies just below Kakuozan, one of the more rewarding corners of eastern Nagoya for a half-day on foot. A few minutes uphill is Nittaiji, a temple founded in 1904 that belongs to no single Buddhist sect and enshrines relics said to have been presented by the kingdom of Siam, present-day Thailand.
Close by is Yokiso, the garden villa of the Ito family who founded the Matsuzakaya department stores. Parts of it were designed by Suzuki Teiji, which makes it a fitting companion to the work of his student down the hill. Further east lie the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, an easy continuation of the same outing.
Because Building No. 1 is part of a working university campus, it is best appreciated from outside. The interior is not generally open to visitors, and classes and offices are in use during term.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Aichi Gakuin University Kusumoto Campus Building No. 1
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside the building?
- It is an active university building, so the interior is not generally open to the public. You can view and photograph the exterior from the campus grounds and the street, but please keep in mind that classes and offices are in session during term.
- What kind of cultural property is this?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in the buildings category. Registration is a lighter form of protection than designation, which is the route used for National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. The building was registered in 1998, and the City of Nagoya had already listed it as an important building for the urban landscape in 1991.
- Who designed it?
- Sato Saburo, a graduate of Nagoya Higher Technical School, drew the design. He had studied under Suzuki Teiji, a leading figure in Nagoya's modern architecture and the brother-in-law of the novelist Natsume Soseki.
- How do I get there?
- The Kusumoto campus is about a five to seven minute walk from Motoyama Station on the Higashiyama and Meijo subway lines, using Exit 1. Motoyama is roughly fifteen minutes from Nagoya Station.
- What else is worth seeing nearby?
- The Kakuozan district just uphill rewards a walk, with Nittaiji temple and the Yokiso villa garden. The Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens lie a little further east and make a natural second stop.
Basic Information
| Name | Aichi Gakuin University Kusumoto Campus Building No. 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Kusumoto-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi (campus address 1-100) |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (buildings); registered 16 January 1998 (gazetted 12 February 1998); registration no. 23-0008 |
| Date | 1928 (Showa 3) |
| Structure | Reinforced concrete, two storeys; building area approx. 805 m² |
| Original use | Main hall of the old-system Aichi Middle School |
| Designer / Builder | Sato Saburo (design); Nishimura Komuten (construction) |
| Owner | Aichi Gakuin (school corporation) |
| Access | About 5 to 7 minutes on foot from Motoyama Station (Higashiyama and Meijo subway lines) |
| Public access | Active campus building; exterior viewing only |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000434
- Cultural Heritage Online (National Institute of Informatics)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/113314
- Bunkazai Navi Aichi (Aichi Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.aichi.jp/kyoiku/bunka/bunkazainavi/yukei/kenzoubutu/kunitouroku/1027.html
- Aichi Gakuin University, Kusumoto and Suemori Campuses
- https://www.agu.ac.jp/access/kusumoto_suemori/
Last verified: 2026.06.14