The Exhibition Hall at a Glance
The Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall (Former Awashima Seamen's School Classroom Building), 粟島海洋記念館資料館 in Japanese, is a single-storey timber classroom block completed in 1920 on Awashima island in Takuma-cho, Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 June 1999.
It went up in the same year as the Main Building and is joined to its west side. Inside, a corridor runs along one side with classrooms lined up off it, the single-loaded corridor plan common in Japanese schools of the time. After the school closed in 1987 the classrooms were turned into galleries for maritime material, which is where the name Exhibition Hall comes from.
The building covers 280 square metres under a tiled roof. Its registration number is 37-0021, and it belongs to Kagawa Prefecture.
Why It Was Registered
The criterion is its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. What the Agency for Cultural Affairs picks out is a difference between front and back: the side facing the sea copies the Main Building's details, while the side facing the schoolyard is kept plain.
In other words, the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall was dressed for people looking at the school from the water. The Agency credits it, together with the Main Building, with giving the seamen's school an imposing front. Its value lies less in the block on its own than in how it extends the Main Building into a single frontage.
What to Look For
Stand in front of the Main Building and let your eye run west. The same facade details carry on at single-storey height, and the step down from 2 storeys to one is the clearest sign of how the 2 buildings were meant to work together.
The plain schoolyard side is on the far side of the building. How much simpler it really is can only be checked from the grounds, which is something to look for once the museum reopens.
Visiting the Exhibition Hall
The museum has been closed for renovation since 24 December 2021, so the galleries of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall are shut. The Mitoyo tourism bureau lists the closure as running until 31 March 2027 (checked September 2026).
The seaward facade can be seen alongside the Main Building from the road that runs from Awashima port past the front of the museum. The schoolyard side is out of sight while the grounds are closed, and photographs are limited to the road view. Ferry details and the museum's overall visiting conditions are on the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum page.
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Q&A
- When was the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall built, and when was it registered?
- It was completed in 1920 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 June 1999, under registration number 37-0021.
- What was the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall originally?
- A classroom block of the Awashima Seamen's School, with a corridor along one side. It was turned into a gallery for maritime material after the school closed.
- Can I see the displays in the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall now?
- No. The museum has been closed for renovation since 24 December 2021, and the Mitoyo tourism bureau lists the closure as lasting until 31 March 2027.
- What is distinctive about the outside of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall?
- Its seaward front matches the Main Building's details while the schoolyard side is plain, so the 2 buildings read together as the school's formal front.
- How does the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall differ from the Training Building?
- Both were classroom blocks with a corridor along one side. The Exhibition Hall, joined to the west of the Main Building, covers 280 square metres and became a gallery; the Training Building beyond it runs north to south, covers 471 square metres and was converted into a training facility.
Basic Information
| Name | Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Exhibition Hall (Former Awashima Seamen's School Classroom Building) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1541 Awashima, Takuma-cho, Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/6/7 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 280 square metres |
| Owner | Kagawa Prefecture |
| Public Access | Closed for renovation (scheduled 2021/12/24 to 2027/3/31); seaward facade viewable from the road in front |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Exhibition Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001141
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Main Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001140
- Mitoyo City: Awashima
- https://www.city.mitoyo.lg.jp/kakuka/seisaku/sangyo/14_1/2434.html
- Mitoyo City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.mitoyo.lg.jp/kakuka/kyouikuiinkai/shogai/3_1/history_bunnkazai/13938.html
- Mitoyo Tourism Bureau: Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum
- https://www.mitoyo-kanko.com/facility/awashimamuseum/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
