Annaka Church Sanctuary (Niijima Jo Memorial Hall)

A Romanesque Church of Oya Stone, 1919

The Annaka Church Sanctuary (Niijima Jo Memorial Hall) (日本基督教団安中教会教会堂（新島襄記念会堂）) is a Romanesque church of Oya stone with a square bell tower of 1919 in Annaka, Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 8, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey stone building, partly of two storeys, with a copper roof, a bell tower and a building area of 171 square metres; registration number 10-0119.

A Romanesque Church of Oya Stone

The sanctuary of Annaka Church, United Church of Christ in Japan, in Annaka, Gunma, is a church of 1919 also called the Niijima Jo Memorial Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs), after Niijima Jo, known as the founder of Doshisha. Built of Oya stone in a Romanesque style and facing east, it has a square bell tower at the south-east corner and buttresses along its walls.

Inside it has a single aisle, but the centre of the boarded ceiling is vaulted so that the space reads as a nave with two side aisles, and Composite marble columns stand on either side of the apse. It was designed by Furuhashi Ryutaro (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it as a model of design.

What to Look For

At the sanctuary, look for the buttressed Oya-stone walls and the square bell tower at the south-east corner (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The four buildings are owned by the Annaka Church of the United Church of Christ in Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a working church, and no official information on visiting was found. The four buildings are introduced together on the Annaka Church page.