A Tall Timber Gymnasium at the North End of the Campus
The Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium (旧鮎川小学校屋内運動場, Kyū Ayukawa Shōgakkō Okunai Undōjō) is a wooden school gymnasium in Machimura, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, built in 1953 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 23, 2012.
Of the four registered buildings on the campus, the gymnasium is the northernmost. It is a single-storey hall running east to west under a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles, with a lean-to added along the west side. Its building area is 548 square meters, and an entrance hall links it to the North Building just to the south.
On the city's floor plan the Ayukawa gymnasium measures 33.65 m long by 14.56 m wide. The western 4.55 m is taken up by the stage and a storeroom on either side of it, leaving 29.1 m of open floor.
A Gable Designed to Look Tall
The Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The official description singles out its east gable end.
The gable wall is painted gray, and a row of white posts runs up it. The posts do not stop at the eaves line but carry on into the triangle of the gable. Next to the low classroom wings, those white verticals make the hall look even taller than it is, and Yurihonjo City's own account of the school says the column row exists to stress the building's height.
All four buildings turn their gables east toward the schoolyard, but only the gymnasium received this kind of treatment. City records list the placement of a tall, strongly detailed gymnasium on the north side of the site as part of a plan designed for overall balance.
According to the Yurihonjo City Board of Education, a ridge tablet mounted on the gymnasium wall names the people behind the whole school: the designer (遠田長吉), the building contractor (木内文吉), the site grading contractor (畠山久治) and the master carpenter (石川宇一郎). The records give the names in kanji only, without readings. It is this tablet that tells us who built the Former Ayukawa Elementary School.
What to Look for Inside the Ayukawa Gymnasium
The interior of the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium is a single high, open room. The roof is carried on Western-style king post trusses, the same system used in the classroom wings, spanning the hall without interior posts.
Large windows line both long walls and let in plenty of daylight. On a clear day their outlines fall across the floor in a row.
The stage sits at the west gable end. The building was renovated in 1991, when the outer walls were also repainted.
Since 2018 the hall has been the "Mori no Asobiba" (forest playground) of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan wooden toy center. It holds a tree house, the Chokai Tower with a slide, a pool filled with 5,000 wooden acorns and a cluster of 26 tiny play rooms, and most of the equipment is made from Akita timber. The old stage has been kept as the Mori no Stage.
Look up from the play structures and you can see the diagonal members of the trusses marching along the ceiling. The hall has become a playground, but the frame built for school sport is still in plain view.
Visiting the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium
The inside of the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium lies within the paid zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan. Admission (810 yen for adults, 610 yen for children) is required, and tickets are sold at the reception desk in the North Building.
The east gable is best seen from the schoolyard, which is open as a playing field. Stand back a little and the white posts and the outline of the gable fit into one view. In the morning the east light falls straight onto the gable wall, and the gray and white read most clearly.
Photography is allowed inside. The forest playground is full of children at play, so skip flash and tripods and take care not to photograph other visitors.
Opening hours, closing days and directions are given on the Former Ayukawa Elementary School page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium built and registered?
- The Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium was built in 1953 as part of a new campus for Ayukawa Junior High School. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, together with the three classroom wings, on February 23, 2012.
- What is special about the outside of the Ayukawa gymnasium?
- Its east gable. White posts rise up a gray wall and emphasize the height of the building. The best view is from the schoolyard.
- Can I go inside the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium, and how much does it cost?
- Yes. It is the "Mori no Asobiba" play hall in the paid zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan. Admission is 810 yen for adults and 610 yen for children (fees revised on April 1, 2026). Tickets are sold in the North Building.
- How is the Ayukawa gymnasium used today?
- As an indoor playground of wooden equipment, including the Chokai Tower, a tree house, a pool of wooden acorns and 26 small play rooms. The original stage at the west end survives.
- Do we know who built the Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium?
- Yes. City records say a ridge tablet on the gymnasium wall names the designer, the building contractor, the site grading contractor and the master carpenter. The names are recorded in kanji (for example 遠田長吉 for the designer and 石川宇一郎 for the master carpenter).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium |
|---|---|
| Location | 65-1 Narusedai, Machimura, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered February 23, 2012 (Heisei 24) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 548 m² |
| Owner | Yurihonjo City |
| Public Access | Open as part of the paid zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009118
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Ayukawa Elementary School Indoor Gymnasium (Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/200951
- Yurihonjo City: Former Ayukawa Elementary School (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002098/1002113/1002126/1003562.html
- Yurihonjo City Board of Education: Former Ayukawa Elementary School, background paper (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/562/1003562_003.pdf
- Yurihonjo City: Former Ayukawa Elementary School floor plan (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/562/1003562_004.pdf
- Yurihonjo City: Overview of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002097/1002111/1003670.html
- Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan: Floor Guide (Japanese)
- https://chokaisan-wtm.jp/floorguide/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
