A Navy Club in Etajima
The Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building (旧江田島海軍下士卒集会所（海友舎）二階建棟) is the two-storey timber front building of a club for petty officers and sailors of the former Imperial Navy, built in 1907 at Chuo, Etajima-cho, Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 3, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records two storeys of timber with a tiled roof and a building area of 83 square metres, registration number 34-0279.
A Club in the Naval Academy Town
According to the Guruguru Kaiyusha Project, the club was built for the sailors and petty officers who worked at the Naval Academy, with a bath, games rooms and bedrooms. Western in appearance, it has tatami rooms and alcoves inside, a blend of Japanese and Western styles.
Sold into private hands in 1948, it long served as a company office and remains in good condition. In 2012 volunteers formed the Guruguru Kaiyusha Project to preserve and use the buildings, including the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building, privately (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a rare surviving timber club for naval enlisted men.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a two-storey hipped, pan-tiled building with a gabled entrance porch projecting at the centre, a balcony above, clapboard walls with sash windows, and careful detail in the porch transom and brackets.
The project notes that photographs from around the Taisho era show the Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building's veranda roof in a different form.
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), Two-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 1907 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it for?
- Recreation and welfare for sailors and petty officers of the Naval Academy (Guruguru Kaiyusha Project).
- What does it look like?
- A hipped Western-style building with a gabled porch, upper balcony, clapboard walls and sash windows (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), Two-Storey Building registered?
- On April 3, 2020.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Two-Storey Building (海友舎二階建棟) |
|---|---|
| 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, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 83 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), Two-Storey Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013337
- Former Etajima Navy Enlisted Men's Club (Kaiyusha), Single-Storey Building (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013338
- 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
