The look of a storehouse
Seventh from the north, the Creative Workshop Hall carries the most deliberately traditional exterior in the row. Its walls were finished in the manner of a dozo, the thick-walled Japanese storehouse.
The roof was built with an inner attic layer (nogoya) for insulation, which gives it the appearance of a separate roof placed above the building, an okiyane-style profile.
Change that keeps the old face
Converting the shed for university use meant real alteration. Light windows were cut into the gable and side walls, and the ridge monitors were linked into a continuous run.
Even so, the building keeps its original appearance well. The register entry of 2000 values this survival of historic character within the landscape, under the registered rather than the designated category.
A workshop under an old skin
Now used as a creative workshop, the hall pairs a storehouse exterior with a making space inside. The insulating roof that once steadied the temperature for stored rice now steadies it for people at work.
Approaching from the south end of the row, this is the shed that most looks the part of an old granary, and the last of the seven the college took in.
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Q&A
- Why does the Creative Workshop Hall look different outside?
- Its walls were finished like a traditional thick-walled storehouse (dozo), and its insulating roof gives it a distinctive placed-roof appearance.
- What is nogoya?
- Nogoya is an inner attic layer built under the roof. Here it was added for insulation, helping keep the store's temperature stable.
- Was the building changed for university use?
- Yes; light windows were added and the ridge monitors joined up, but the shed still keeps its original character.
- What is its designation status?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, recognized for its contribution to the historic landscape, not an Important Cultural Property.
Basic Information
| Name | Creative Workshop Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 12-3 Shinya-Okawamachi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Registered | 26 September 2000 (25th registration round) |
| Registration No. | 05-0063 |
| 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創作工房棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001830
- 文化遺産オンライン — 秋田公立美術工芸短期大学創作工房棟
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/186560
- 秋田公立美術大学 公式サイト
- https://www.akibi.ac.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.08