A Reading Hall Crowned by Two Lanterns
The former reading room of the Sapporo Agricultural College library reads as the public, welcoming face of the old campus library. Completed in 1902 (Meiji 35), it is a single-story timber hall on a T-shaped plan. The stem of the T pushes forward toward the visitor, and on its roof sit two small lanterns that give the building a distinctive silhouette against the sky.
Along the flanks, the windows are not uniform. They alternate between triangular and segmental, or comb-shaped, pediments, so the wall carries a visible rhythm as you walk past. A later wing was added in 1952 (Showa 27), but the reading hall keeps the character of its Meiji origins.
Why It Was Registered
The hall was designed by Chujo Seiichiro, the architect behind several buildings of the new campus. It was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2000, with the gazette notice on 17 May, under the criterion recognizing it as a model of its type.
What gives this building particular value is its place. It stands where it was built, together with the nearby former entomology and sericulture classroom, so the two survive as a pair on their original ground when much of the early campus has changed around them. For a library, the reading room was the heart of daily use, and to still have that heart in position tells visitors a great deal about how the college organized study.
What to Look For
Start with the roofline. The two lanterns are the easiest way to recognize the building from a distance, and they once helped light and ventilate the hall below. Then bring your eye down to the windows and watch the alternation of pediment shapes; the switch between the sharp triangle and the softer segmental curve is deliberate, not random, and it keeps the long wall from feeling monotonous.
The reading room is on the working Sapporo campus, viewable from outside as you walk the grounds, with the interior not generally open. It pairs naturally with the former stack next door, the storehouse that held the books the reading room served, and with the entomology classroom that shares its history and its designer.
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Q&A
- What are the two structures on the roof?
- They are lanterns, small rooftop structures that help identify the building and once assisted lighting and ventilation of the hall.
- Why do the windows have different tops?
- The windows alternate between triangular and segmental pediments, giving the facade a deliberate rhythm along its length.
- Is it still on its original site?
- Yes. It remains where it was built, together with the former entomology and sericulture classroom nearby.
- Can I go inside?
- The interior is not generally open. The exterior can be viewed freely from the campus grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sapporo Agricultural College Library Reading Room, Hokkaido University |
|---|---|
| Location | Kita 9, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registered 28 April 2000; gazette notice 17 May 2000) |
| Built | 1902 (Meiji 35); wing added 1952 (Showa 27) |
| Structure | Timber, single story, sheet-metal roof; building area 467 m²; 1 building |
| Designer | Chujo Seiichiro |
| Owner | Hokkaido University (National University Corporation) |
| Access | Exterior viewable on the Sapporo campus; interior not generally open |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Former Sapporo Agricultural College Library Reading Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001542
- Hokkaido University — official site
- https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.02