A Cross-Shaped Chapel of 1933
The Mobara Ascension Church (茂原昇天教会) is an Anglican chapel of 1933 in Mobara, Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 8, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 113 square metres; registration number 12-0010.
A Chapel Shaped Like a Latin Cross
The Mobara Ascension Church is a clapboarded chapel with a single nave, laid out in the shape of a Latin cross (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Mobara City Tourism Association says mission work began in 1897 in a house used as a preaching station in the Minamihara district, and the new church was completed in 1933 and named the Mobara Ascension Church.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design for its neat front: a half-timbered gable over the nave and an entrance porch on paired Tuscan columns, one square and one octagonal in section.
What to Look For
Look at the half-timbered gable and the porch columns, each pair combining a square and an octagonal shaft (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Mobara City Tourism Association lists the church as a place to visit, with the church itself as the contact. No official information on interior visiting arrangements was found.
Q&A
- When was the Mobara Ascension Church built?
- In 1933 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for at the Mobara Ascension Church?
- The half-timbered gable and the porch on paired Tuscan columns.
- Which denomination is the Mobara Ascension Church?
- It belongs to the Anglican Church in Japan.
- Where is the Mobara Ascension Church?
- At 581 Mobara, Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture.
- When was the Mobara Ascension Church registered?
- On July 8, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Mobara Ascension Church (茂原昇天教会) |
|---|---|
| Location | 581 Mobara, Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/07/08 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 113 m² |
| Owner | Anglican Church in Japan, Diocese of Yokohama (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Listed by the tourism association; interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Mobara Ascension Church (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001168
- Mobara Ascension Church (Mobara City Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://www.mobara-kankou.com/search/history/249.html
Last verified: 2026.10.15