Where the gables meet
Third from the north, Training Building No. 3 belongs to the tightest part of the row, where the gabled (kirizuma) sheds stand so close that their eaves nearly touch. Built in 1934 among the eight rice warehouses at Shinya, it shares their timber frame and long, low profile.
What sets No. 3 apart is the life it was given after the rice left.
A studio for craft and industrial design
In 1994 the site passed to Akita City as college land, and the three northernmost sheds, Nos. 1 through 3, were remodeled inside to serve as studios for craft art (kogei-bijutsu) and industrial design. No. 3 is where product design and making happen under the old warehouse roof.
Its 2000 registration recognizes the group's value within the historic landscape. The category is registered rather than designated, so it sits apart from the Important Cultural Property tier.
The character of the working shed
Adaptive reuse here is honest. The conversion kept the deep single volume and the exposed frame, so the room still reads as a warehouse even while it hums with students, benches and machines.
Stand at one end and the perspective of repeating posts draws the eye the length of the shed. The building teaches design partly by being one: a plain, well-made structure doing new work.
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Q&A
- How is Training Building No. 3 used now?
- It is a working studio for craft art and industrial design within Akita University of Art, one of the three northern sheds remodeled for that purpose.
- What does kirizuma mean?
- Kirizuma is a gabled roof form. Here the gabled warehouses stand in a tight row with their eaves almost meeting.
- When was the shed converted for teaching?
- The site became college land in 1994, and the interiors of the first three sheds were adapted as design studios.
- Is the building an Important Cultural Property?
- No. It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, a category recognizing its role in the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Training Building No. 3 (Jisshuto Sangoto) |
|---|---|
| Location | 12-3 Shinya-Okawamachi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Registered | 26 September 2000 (25th registration round) |
| Registration No. | 05-0059 |
| Count | One building (ittō) |
| Date | 1934 (Showa 9) |
| Structure | Single-story timber, sheet-iron roof; footprint approx. 660 sq m |
| Criterion | Contributing to the nation's historic landscape |
| Owner | Akita University of Art (public university corporation) |
| Access | In use as campus facilities; enquire with the university about visits |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 秋田公立美術工芸短期大学実習棟三号棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001826
- 文化遺産オンライン — 秋田公立美術工芸短期大学実習棟三号棟
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/178046
- 秋田公立美術大学 公式サイト
- https://www.akibi.ac.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.08