Iwate Prefectural Public Hall

Morioka's 1927 Public Hall

The Iwate Prefectural Public Hall (岩手県公会堂) is a reinforced-concrete public hall completed in 1927 in Uchimaru, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 18, 2006. It is a prefectural facility under the Public Hall Ordinance, and its main hall and meeting rooms are still in use (Iwate Prefecture).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as reinforced concrete, two storeys above ground and one below, with a building area of 1580 square metres and a rooftop tower; registration number 03-0061. No owner is listed in the record, but it is a prefectural facility run by a designated manager (Iwate Prefecture).

How the Hall Came About

According to the hall's visitor guide, construction of the Iwate Prefectural Public Hall was approved by the prefectural assembly in 1923 to celebrate the marriage of the then Crown Prince, later Emperor Showa. It originally combined four uses: the prefectural assembly chamber, a main hall, a Western restaurant and lodgings for members of the imperial family. It was designed by Sato Koichi, known for Hibiya Public Hall and Waseda University's Okuma Auditorium.

The same guide notes that a room was prepared to receive the emperor during army manoeuvres in 1928, that the assembly moved to a new building in 1965, and that in 2004 the prefecture decided, after hearing residents' views, to preserve the whole building.

Why It Was Registered

The Iwate Prefectural Public Hall was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its six-stage central tower, its scratch-tile walls and the pilasters that stress its verticality.

What to Look For

The Iwate Prefectural Public Hall stands at the centre of its site facing roughly south, 44 metres wide and 48 metres deep, two storeys under a flat roof. Behind the entrance is the stair hall, then a courtyard, with the main hall at the back (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the front, the central tower and the scratch-tile walls ribbed with pilasters define the building.

The visitor guide points to Art Deco touches such as fine relief panels and gracefully curved balconies. Iwate Prefecture notes a permanent exhibition on the hall's history in the second-floor display room.

Visiting the Iwate Prefectural Public Hall

The Iwate Prefectural Public Hall is open 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., closed on the third Monday of each month and over the New Year (December 29 to January 3), according to the visitor guide. There is no parking for visitors; use nearby car parks. It is about a 30-minute walk from Morioka Station, or take a bus to the Kencho-Shiyakusho-mae stop. The address is 11-2 Uchimaru, Morioka; telephone 019-623-4681.