A Taisho County Hall and Exhibition Hall in Okazaki
The Former Nukata County Public Hall and Products Exhibition (旧額田郡公会堂及物産陳列所) are two buildings put up in 1913 for Nukata County in Asahi-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, a public hall and a hall for displaying local products, and they were designated an Important Cultural Property on December 1, 1999. They are owned by Okazaki City.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the public hall as a timber building with a building area of 532.6 square metres and the exhibition hall as a timber building of 175.8 square metres, both with tiled roofs. The exhibition hall was built facing the public hall and moved to its present site in 1961. The public hall later served as the Okazaki City Local History Museum and the exhibition hall as its storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The buildings were designated in 1999. According to the Agency, the public hall was designed by Yoshida Eizo and consists of an assembly hall, a service entrance block and a toilet block, composed in a Renaissance manner with a segmental pediment at the centre. The exhibition hall is in a stick style with hammer beams expressed on its gable ends, in deliberate contrast to the public hall.
The Agency values them as among the earliest county-built public halls and product exhibition halls in Japan and one of the few surviving pairs. They also illustrate the modernisation of public architecture in provincial towns and how far Western styles and techniques had been mastered in the regions.
What to Look For
At the public hall, look for the segmental pediment at the centre of the symmetrical facade, where a provincial public building of the early Taisho period adopted Western classical forms.
At the exhibition hall, look at the hammer-beam framing shown on the gable ends. The stick-style design, expressing posts and beams on the outside, contrasts with the weightier public hall; seen together, the pair shows the range of design in public buildings of a single year.
Visiting
According to Okazaki City documents, the buildings have been closed since 2010 because of insufficient earthquake resistance, and conservation work including seismic strengthening is planned. The interiors cannot currently be visited; check Okazaki City's announcements for future opening. The address is 3-36-1 Asahi-cho, Okazaki City.
Q&A
- When were the buildings constructed?
- In 1913.
- When were they designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On December 1, 1999.
- Who designed them?
- The public hall was designed by Yoshida Eizo.
- Why are they valuable?
- They are among the earliest county public halls and product exhibition halls in Japan and one of the few surviving pairs.
- Can I visit the former Nukata County Public Hall?
- It has been closed since 2010 because of insufficient earthquake resistance, and conservation work is planned.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nukata County Public Hall and Products Exhibition (旧額田郡公会堂及物産陳列所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-36-1 Asahi-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1999/12/1 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 2 buildings (public hall, exhibition hall) |
| Dimensions | Public hall: timber, building area 532.6 square metres, tiled roof. Exhibition hall: timber, building area 175.8 square metres, tiled roof |
| Owner | Okazaki City |
| Public Access | Closed since 2010 (conservation work planned) |
References
- 旧額田郡公会堂 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/145778
- 旧額田郡物産陳列所 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/201009
- Conservation project for the former Nukata County exhibition hall (MLIT public-private partnership materials, Okazaki City)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/kanminrenkei/content/001632280.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.05
Cultural Treasures in the Same Area
All are within walking distance in the same area, so we recommend visiting them together.
- Former Nukata County Public Hall and Products Exhibition Former Nukata County Products Exhibition Center 0.00 km
- Former Nukata County Public Hall and Products Exhibition Former Nukata County Public Hall 0.03 km