A Mining Town Kindergarten of 1932
The Tenshikan (Former Seien Maria-en Kindergarten) (天使館（旧聖園マリア園）) is a kindergarten for the families of Kosaka Mine workers of 1932 in Kosaka Kozan, Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 1, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a copper roof and a building area of 372 square metres; registration number 05-0092.
A Western-Style Kindergarten in a Mining Town
Tenshikan, the former Seien Maria-en, was built as a kindergarten for the children of workers at the Kosaka Mine, a single-storey timber building facing east onto the town road that runs north to south through the centre of Kosaka (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its walls are clad in German-style drop siding (English-style lap siding on the west side only), and it is dressed in a plain Western manner with tall sash windows, pilasters and a pediment on the porch, and ridge ornaments at the ends of the main roof and over the porch (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes this mining-town kindergarten dressed in a plain Western style, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the pilasters and pediment of the porch, the tall sash windows and the ridge ornaments (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Kosaka Town (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1932 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it built for?
- As a kindergarten for families of Kosaka Mine workers, then called Seien Maria-en.
- How are the walls clad?
- In German-style drop siding, with English-style lap siding on the west side.
- Who owns it?
- Kosaka Town.
- When was the Tenshikan (Former Seien Maria-en Kindergarten) registered?
- On July 1, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tenshikan (Former Seien Maria-en Kindergarten) (天使館（旧聖園マリア園）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 35-6 Kosaka Kozan, Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/07/01 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, copper roof, 372 m² |
| Owner | Kosaka Town |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Tenshikan (Former Seien Maria-en Kindergarten) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003345
Last verified: 2026.10.20