A hexagon on the hillside
The Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (甲南女子中学校・高等学校講堂) in Morikitacho, Higashinada Ward, Kobe, is the school's assembly hall, designed by Murano Tōgo and completed in 1968; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 3, 2020 (number 28-0735).
It sits on the slope south of the administration building. The structure combines reinforced concrete and steel, with 2 storeys above ground and 1 below, and a building area of 1,010 m².
A roof cut to the plan
The plan of the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium is a hexagon, with the stage on the north side and the seating pushed out to the south as a trapezoid. The roof is broken into small facets that follow the plan, and the eaves are kept very thin.
That is what keeps a hall of over 1,000 m² from looking heavy, a point the Agency for Cultural Affairs also makes about the faceted roof and slim eaves.
Curves inside
Inside, the ceilings and the outer corners of the walls are worked in curves, so that rounded surfaces flow into one another around the hall. The Agency sees in this organic treatment the hand of Murano as a sculptor of form.
The Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium was registered as a model of design, the only one of the six buildings registered in 2020 on that criterion; the tea ceremony classroom and west gate guardhouse were later added on the same basis. The roof is covered with asbestos-cement board.
Visiting
The auditorium is used for school events and is not open to the public. It stands inside the campus on the slope below the administration building, so it is hard to see from outside the grounds.
The school's history and directions to the campus are on the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School page.
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Q&A
- Where is the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium?
- On the school campus in Morikitacho, Higashinada Ward, Kobe, on the slope south of the administration building.
- What shape is the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium?
- Hexagonal, with the stage to the north and the seating projecting south as a trapezoid. The roof is divided into small facets that follow the plan, with thin eaves.
- What is the interior of the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium like?
- The ceilings and wall corners are shaped in curves, an organic treatment seen as characteristic of Murano Tōgo.
- When was the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium registered as a cultural property?
- On April 3, 2020, as a model of design, with Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0735.
- Can visitors see the Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium?
- No. It is a school facility and the grounds are closed to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (甲南女子中学校・高等学校講堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-4-1 Morikitacho, Higashinada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0735 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/04/03 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete and steel frame, 2 storeys above ground and 1 below, asbestos-cement board roof; building area 1,010 m² |
| Owner | Konan Joshi Gakuen (school corporation) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (school facility) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013291
- Cultural Heritage Online — Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School Auditorium
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/450020
- University Press Center — Konan Girls' Junior and Senior High School buildings to be registered as cultural properties
- https://digitalpr.jp/r/36065
Last verified: 2026.10.07
