A Stick-Style Post Office with a Postal Mark
The Former Katsume Post Office (旧勝目郵便局) is an early Showa single-storey timber post office in Nakayamada, Kawabe-cho, Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture, which in 2007 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 114 square metres, dated to 1941, and registered as a model of design.
Minamikyushu City says it was built in 1937 and used until a new Katsume post office opened on the national highway.
Structure
According to the Agency, it faces west onto the old road, running north-south, six bays by five and a half, single-storey timber with a half-hipped pantiled roof and another half-hipped gable over the central entrance.
The walls are clapboarded, and the window frames are extended to give a Stick Style appearance.
What to Look For
The Agency notes that the brackets supporting the entrance canopy incorporate the postal mark, a detail announcing the building's purpose.
The half-hipped roofs and the lines of the extended window frames give this small timber building a Western air.
Visiting the Former Katsume Post Office
No official information on visiting conditions could be found. The exterior can be seen from the road.
Enquiries: Minamikyushu City cultural properties section, 0993-83-4433.
Q&A
- When was the Former Katsume Post Office built?
- The Agency gives 1941; Minamikyushu City gives 1937.
- What does it look like?
- A Stick Style exterior with extended window frames.
- What is special about the entrance?
- The canopy brackets incorporate the postal mark.
- What is the roof like?
- Half-hipped and pantiled, with a half-hipped gable over the entrance.
- How long was it used?
- Until a new post office opened on the national highway.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Katsume Post Office (旧勝目郵便局) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1134-3 Nakayamada, Kawabe-cho, Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/5/15 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 114 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Katsume Post Office (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006084
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Katsume Post Office (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/197079
- Minamikyushu City: Former Katsume Post Office (Japanese)
- https://www.city.minamikyushu.lg.jp/sport_bunka_kyoiku/rekishi_bunkazai/2/2/7125.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28