A Timber Gothic Church in Aizuwakamatsu
The United Church of Christ in Japan Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church (日本基督教団若松栄町教会) is a Gothic-style church of 1911 in Nishisakaemachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 28, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber church with a sheet-metal roof and a tower, covering 208 square metres; registration number 07-0039.
A Timber Church on a Latin Cross
The Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church is a Gothic-style church of weatherboarded timber whose hall is laid out as a Latin cross (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
It is said to have been modelled on the Fukushima church designed by William Merrell Vories, and a square tower with a spire rises over an entrance turned at 45 degrees (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The roof framing of the chapel, using tie bars, also reflects its era well.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design, a valuable church whose tie-bar roof framing reflects its era.
What to Look For
Look for the spired tower over the angled entrance and the tie-bar framing inside the chapel (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on services or visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was the Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church built?
- In 1911 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is its plan?
- The hall is laid out as a Latin cross.
- What was it modelled on?
- Reportedly the Fukushima church designed by Vories.
- How is the church name read?
- Wakamatsu Sakaemachi (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the United Church of Christ in Japan Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church registered?
- On April 28, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | United Church of Christ in Japan Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church (日本基督教団若松栄町教会) |
|---|---|
| Location | 8-36 Nishisakaemachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/04/28 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, sheet-metal roof, 208 m², with tower |
| Owner | United Church of Christ in Japan Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- United Church of Christ in Japan Wakamatsu Sakaemachi Church (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001655
Last verified: 2026.10.17