The Last Wing to Be Finished, at the South End
The Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building (旧鮎川小学校南校舎棟, Kyū Ayukawa Shōgakkō Minami Kōshatō) is a single-storey wooden classroom wing in Machimura, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, built in 1954 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 23, 2012.
It is the southernmost of the four registered buildings. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the gymnasium, the North Building and the Central Building to 1953, and only the South Building to 1954. It was the final piece of a two-year building program, and in 1954 Ayukawa Junior High School moved into its new campus.
The wing runs east to west under a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles. At 651 square meters it has the largest building area of the four. The city's floor plan gives it a length of 60.51 m, and an entrance hall and covered passage on its north side connect it to the Central Building.
A Symmetrical Front That Mirrors the North Building
The Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out that it stands in the position that mirrors the North Building across the Central Building, and that its own elevation is neatly symmetrical.
The symmetry carries into the room layout. On the floor plan, a narrow teaching-materials room, 2.27 m wide, sits in the middle, with two ordinary classrooms on each side of it. The arts and crafts room, 12.74 m wide, closes the west end, and a tatami room for etiquette lessons closes the east end. Same-sized classrooms line up on either side of that slim central room.
The roof is framed with king post trusses. In the Agency's assessment, the classroom planning and the structure show how schools were built at the time, and the building is a fine piece of school architecture with the warmth of wood.
The floors were sanded in a 1991 renovation, and the outer windows were replaced with metal sashes in 1997.
What to See in the Ayukawa South Building
At the east end is the reihōshitsu, a 24-mat tatami room where pupils were taught manners and etiquette. In a school of cedar-floored classrooms it is the only room laid with tatami, and it now serves as a rest room open to everyone.
West of it, the classrooms once used by Ayukawa Elementary School's fifth and sixth graders have been left as they were and are open as Classroom 1 and Classroom 2. On the floor plan a classroom measures 9.1 m wide and 6.83 m deep; step inside and you are standing in exactly the space the children had.
Other rooms display folk tools from the Yuri area, including farming and fishing implements, as a record of everyday life in the not-so-distant past. The collection was moved here from an aging local history museum. The storeroom for folk materials is closed to visitors.
Back outside, compare the east gable of the South Building with that of the North Building from the schoolyard. Identical gables stand to the north and south of the Central Building, the arrangement the Agency highlights in describing this wing.
Visiting the Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building
The Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building is in the free zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan. The tatami room, Classrooms 1 and 2 and the folk tool displays can all be visited without an admission ticket.
You may eat food and drinks you have brought with you in the tatami room and the two classrooms. There are no rubbish bins in the building, so take your waste home. The rooms are sometimes reserved for groups.
Indoor shoes come off when you step up onto the tatami. Photography is fine, but avoid pointing the camera at people resting.
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Q&A
- How does the Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building differ from the other buildings?
- The Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building is the only one of the four dated to 1954. The other three date from 1953, and the South Building was completed last in the two-year program. Its building area of 651 square meters is also the largest of the four.
- When was the Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 23, 2012, together with the other three buildings.
- What is the tatami room in the Ayukawa South Building?
- It is a 24-mat room at the east end where pupils were taught etiquette. Today it is open to all visitors as a rest room.
- Can I see the classrooms of the Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building for free?
- Yes. The South Building is in the free zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan, so the preserved fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms and the folk tool rooms need no ticket.
- Can I eat a packed lunch in the Ayukawa South Building?
- Yes, in the tatami room and Classrooms 1 and 2. There are no rubbish bins, so please take your waste home.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building |
|---|---|
| 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 651 m² |
| Owner | Yurihonjo City |
| Public Access | Open as part of the free zone of the Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009121
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Ayukawa Elementary School South Building (Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/176564
- 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
- Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan: Floor Guide (Japanese)
- https://chokaisan-wtm.jp/floorguide/
- Chokaisan Kino Omocha Kan: FAQ (Japanese)
- https://chokaisan-wtm.jp/info/qanda/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
