The Martial Arts Hall at a Glance
The Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall (Former Awashima Seamen's School Judo Hall), 粟島海洋記念館武道場 in Japanese, is a single-storey timber judo hall 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 was built for the Awashima Seamen's School in the same year as the Main Building and the classroom blocks, and stands behind the Main Building on the far side of a courtyard. It covers 151 square metres under a tiled roof; its registration number is 37-0023, and the owner is Kagawa Prefecture.
Why It Was Registered
The criterion is its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs admits that the outside of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall is very plain next to the Main Building, and praises the inside instead. The roof is carried on trusses, and not a single post stands in the room.
A judo hall needs a wide, uninterrupted mat floor. A post in the middle of it would be something to be thrown into. Trusses, built up from triangles, span long distances with little timber, which makes them the natural way to get a clear hall. The building's structure follows directly from what it was for.
The Agency also values it as one of the buildings that show how seamen were trained here. With a judo hall surviving alongside classrooms and an auditorium, you can trace more of the school's daily routine in its buildings.
What to Look For
The interest is inside: the trussed roof frame and a floor that runs end to end without a post in the way. Outside, the building is purely practical, and the contrast with the carefully dressed fronts of the Main Building and Exhibition Hall shows the school spending its effort where it would be seen from the sea.
Its position matters too. Tucked behind the Main Building across a courtyard, it sits with the working parts of the campus rather than on the public front.
Visiting the Martial Arts Hall
The museum has been closed for renovation since 24 December 2021, so the interior of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall cannot be visited. The Mitoyo tourism bureau lists the closure as running until 31 March 2027 (checked September 2026).
Because it stands behind the Main Building, it is hidden from the harbour road. During the closure, expect to see little or nothing of it and not to be able to photograph it. The trusses and the post-free hall are something to save for after reopening. 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 Martial Arts 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 37-0023.
- What was the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall originally?
- The judo hall of the Awashima Seamen's School. Its official registration name adds the school-era name, 旧粟島海員学校柔道場.
- What is special about the structure of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall?
- The roof is carried on trusses and there are no posts inside, giving the wide, clear mat floor a judo hall needs.
- Can you visit the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall now?
- Not inside. The museum has been closed for renovation since 24 December 2021, with the closure listed until 31 March 2027. Because it stands behind the Main Building, it is hardly visible from the road either.
- Are the budōjō and budōkan of the Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum the same building?
- Yes. The national database calls it 武道場 (budōjō), while Mitoyo City's list of cultural properties writes 武道館 (budōkan).
Basic Information
| Name | Awashima Maritime Memorial Museum Martial Arts Hall (Former Awashima Seamen's School Judo Hall) |
|---|---|
| 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 151 square metres |
| Owner | Kagawa Prefecture |
| Public Access | Closed for renovation (scheduled 2021/12/24 to 2027/3/31); behind the Main Building and hardly visible from the road |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Martial Arts Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001143
- 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
