A Concrete Slide from 1926
The Monma Elementary School Slide (百間小学校すべり台, Monma shōgakkō suberidai) is a reinforced-concrete playground slide built in 1926 in the schoolyard of Miyashiro Town Monma Elementary School at Nishihara, Miyashiro Town, Minamisaitama District, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 3, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The characters 百間 look as if they should be read Hyakken, but the local reading is Monma. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the slide as reinforced concrete, 3.1 metres high and 6.8 metres long overall, registration number 11-0196, owned by Miyashiro Town. The town describes it as a gift to the school in 1926.
The School and Its Playground
According to Miyashiro Town, Monma Elementary School began in 1873 as the Shinshu School, using the temple Saikoin as its schoolhouse, and moved to its present site in 1910. The town's magazine feature notes that it opened on May 15 of that year, making it the oldest primary school in the town.
The school has two playgrounds, and the slide stands in the first, used mainly by the younger pupils. The same feature quotes the principal: the slide is tall for a school slide, yet curiously no one seems to get hurt on it.
Why It Was Registered
The Monma Elementary School Slide was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a rare survival of a reinforced-concrete slide built in the Taisho era.
According to the town's feature, the Monma Elementary School Slide is still part of the playground, used by pupils every day.
What to Look For
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the slide stands in the southwest corner of the schoolyard. A landing sits on top of the supporting pier, with square posts at its four corners, and a straight chute edged with raised frames runs down one side while a staircase climbs the other. The forms are plain and geometric.
The chute is finished in polished artificial stone, a terrazzo-like surface of cement and crushed stone ground smooth. From a landing 3.1 metres up, the 6.8-metre slide drops in a single straight run.
Visiting
The Monma Elementary School Slide stands in the playground of a working public primary school. No arrangements for public viewing have been announced, so do not enter the school grounds without permission; enquiries go to the Miyashiro Town Board of Education.
The address is 261-1 Nishihara, Miyashiro Town. If you take photographs from outside, take care not to photograph pupils.
Q&A
- When was the Monma Elementary School Slide built?
- In 1926 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Miyashiro Town describes it as a donation made that year.
- How big is the Monma Elementary School Slide?
- It is reinforced concrete, 3.1 metres high and 6.8 metres long overall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Is the Monma Elementary School Slide still used?
- Yes. It stands in the playground used mainly by the younger pupils (Miyashiro Town feature).
- Can visitors see the Monma Elementary School Slide?
- It is inside a working school, and no public viewing has been announced. Do not enter the grounds without permission; contact the Miyashiro Town Board of Education.
- Why is 百間 read Monma?
- It is the local place-name reading. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the reading of the school as monma.
Basic Information
| Name | Monma Elementary School Slide (百間小学校すべり台) |
|---|---|
| Location | 261-1 Nishihara, Miyashiro Town, Minamisaitama District, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/04/03 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 3.1 metres high, 6.8 metres long |
| Owner | Miyashiro Town |
| Public Access | Inside a working public primary school (no public viewing announced) |
References
- Monma Elementary School Slide (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013230
- Monma Elementary School: learning since the Meiji era (Miyashiro Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.miyashiro.lg.jp/0000011392.html
- The primary schools of Miyashiro (Miyashiro de kurasso, Japanese)
- https://www.kuraso-miyashiro.com/facility/37/
Last verified: 2026.10.14