A Wooden School in the Mountains
The Kawakami Junior High School Main Building (川上中学校本校舎) is a single-storey timber junior high school building of 1949 in Ushiroda, Kimotsuki Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, which in 2009 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 331 square metres, altered in 1961 and 1972, owned by Kimotsuki Town and registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Kimotsuki Town notes that the school has been closed since April 2012.
Structure
According to the Agency, it runs north-south near the east of the school site, gabled with a pantiled roof and clapboard walls, with four buttresses on each of the east and west sides.
A corridor runs along the west side facing the playground. Originally an earth-floored passage near the centre divided three classrooms on the north from the staff room on the south.
What to Look For
Kimotsuki Town explains that the buttresses brace the building against wind, and that this appearance led to its registration. The Agency describes it as a wooden school surviving in the mountains, with great charm.
The town notes that despite alterations it keeps essentially its original appearance.
Visiting the Kawakami Junior High School Main Building
The school is closed, and no official information on visiting conditions could be found.
Enquiries: Kimotsuki Town education general affairs section, 0994-65-8425.
Q&A
- When was the Kawakami Junior High School Main Building built?
- In 1949; it was altered in 1961 and 1972.
- What is special about it?
- A single-storey clapboard building with four buttresses on each long side.
- What are the buttresses for?
- Bracing against wind, according to Kimotsuki Town.
- Is the school still in use?
- It has been closed since April 2012.
- What was the original layout?
- A west corridor, three classrooms to the north and the staff room to the south.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawakami Junior High School Main Building (川上中学校本校舎) |
|---|---|
| Location | 6339-23 Ushiroda, Kimotsuki Town, Kimotsuki District, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/4/28 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 331 square metres |
| Owner | Kimotsuki Town |
| Public Access | Closed school; no official visitor information |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kawakami Junior High School Main Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007706
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kawakami Junior High School Main Building (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/143468
- Kimotsuki Town: Kawakami Junior High School (Japanese)
- https://kimotsuki-town.jp/soshiki/kyoikusomuka/1/1673.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28