A Hall Moved from Kure
The Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building (旧江田島海軍下士卒集会所（海友舎）平屋建棟) is a single-storey timber building behind the two-storey building of the former navy enlisted men's club at Chuo, Etajima-cho, Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, built in Kure in 1905 and moved here in 1928, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 3, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records single-storey timber with a tiled roof and a building area of 192 square metres, registration number 34-0280.
Martial Arts Hall and Games Room
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building was the Oshokan, the Kure navy enlisted men's club built in 1905, moved here in 1928, and contains a martial arts hall and a games room.
The Guruguru Kaiyusha Project notes that the club served the sailors and petty officers of the Naval Academy and that the single-storey wing is not yet seen in photographs from around the Taisho era. After the war the buildings became a company office, and since 2012 the project has preserved and used them.
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it, with the two-storey building, a rare surviving timber club for naval enlisted men.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a single-storey hipped building with pan tiles on an L-shaped plan, containing a martial arts hall and a games room.
Moved from Kure to Etajima, the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building also records the links between Japan's naval towns (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
According to the Guruguru Kaiyusha Project, the interior can be seen on guided tours by advance booking (usually 60 minutes, 500 yen per person, free for students and preschool children; groups of ten or more by arrangement), applied for through the project's mail form.
The Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building is at Chuo 2-chome, Etajima-cho, Etajima City. See the group page Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha) for both buildings.
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Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1905 in Kure; it was moved here in 1928 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it originally?
- The Oshokan, the Kure navy enlisted men's club (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is inside?
- A martial arts hall and a games room on an L-shaped plan (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can visitors go inside?
- Yes, on guided tours booked in advance (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project).
- When was the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building registered?
- On April 3, 2020.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building (海友舎平屋建棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 17490 Chuo 2-chome, Etajima-cho, Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/04/03 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 192 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database |
| Public Access | Paid guided tours by booking |
References
- Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013338
- Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013337
- History of Kaiyusha (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project)
- https://www.kaiyousya.com/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%8B%E8%88%8E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%8B%E8%88%8E%E3%81%AE%E9%81%8D%E6%AD%B4/
- About the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project)
- https://www.kaiyousya.com/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%8B%E8%88%8E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF/%E6%B1%9F%E7%94%B0%E5%B3%B6%E6%B5%B7%E8%BB%8D%E4%B8%8B%E5%A3%AB%E5%8D%92%E9%9B%86%E4%BC%9A%E6%89%80%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF/
- Kaiyusha Guided Tours (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project)
- https://www.kaiyousya.com/%E6%B4%BB%E5%8B%95%E7%B4%B9%E4%BB%8B/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%8B%E8%88%8E%E3%82%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%83%84%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC/
Last verified: 2026.10.11
