A Methodist Missionary House of 1906
The Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House (弘前学院外人宣教師館) is a two-storey timber Western-style house built in 1906 on the Hirosaki Gakuin campus in Minorimachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on January 21, 1978 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency's record gives a two-storey timber building with a sheet-iron roof and a building area of 158.9 square metres, while its commentary and the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education give 163.6 square metres; the two figures do not agree.
Lodging for Women Missionaries
Hirosaki Gakuin is a Protestant school founded in 1886 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education, the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House was built to lodge the Methodist women missionaries sent to teach at the school.
Tradition credits the design and construction to Sakuraba Komagoro, a Christian master carpenter from Hirosaki (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to a well-composed design, with a projecting octagonal spire and a bay crowned by a decorative gable, and counts the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House among the finest surviving Western-style houses in the Tohoku region.
What to Look For
The first thing to catch the eye is the octagonal spire at the southwest corner, topped with a finial (Aomori Prefecture). The siding is painted pale yellow and the posts and sills a wine red, and together with the windows under semicircular transoms, the house gave local people a strong image of what a Western house looked like.
Inside, the ground floor held the dining room, a meeting room and a study, with bedrooms upstairs (Aomori Prefecture). The prefecture describes the interior as refined and delicate, designed with its women residents in mind.
Visiting
According to the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education, the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House is open to the public and closed on Sundays and public holidays. For opening hours and conditions, contact the Hirosaki Gakuin head office (0172-38-6211).
The house stands within the school grounds at 13-1 Minorimachi, Hirosaki City (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Q&A
- When was the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House built?
- In 1906 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House used for?
- It was the lodging of Methodist women missionaries sent to Hirosaki Gakuin (Aomori Prefecture).
- What should I look for?
- The octagonal spire at the southwest corner, the pale yellow siding with wine-red posts, and windows under semicircular transoms.
- Can I visit the Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House?
- It is open to the public and closed on Sundays and public holidays; contact the Hirosaki Gakuin head office (0172-38-6211) for details.
- When was it designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On January 21, 1978 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House (弘前学院外人宣教師館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 13-1 Minorimachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1978/01/21 (Showa 53) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, two storeys, sheet-iron roof, building area 158.9 square metres (163.6 square metres in the commentary and prefectural record) |
| Owner | Hirosaki Gakuin Educational Corporation |
| Public Access | Open (closed Sundays and public holidays) |
References
- Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/69
- Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Missionary House (Aomori Prefectural Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.aomori.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/e-bunka/jubun_kenzoubutu_21.html
Last verified: 2026.10.14