About the Kyoto Art Center (former Meirin Elementary School)
The Kyoto Art Center is an arts facility in the buildings of the former Kyoto Municipal Meirin Elementary School on Muromachi-dori south of Takoyakushi in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, whose west, south and north buildings of 1931 and main gate and wall were registered as four Registered Tangible Cultural Property structures on July 8, 2008. The centre opened in 2000 (Kyoto Art Center).
According to the Kyoto Art Center, Meirin Elementary School opened in 1869 as Shimogyo Sanbangumi Elementary School and closed in 1993 after 124 years. Its name came from the Meirinsha, a hall of the Sekimon Shingaku ethical movement that first housed it.
The School Buildings of 1931
The buildings date from a major rebuilding in 1931 to designs by the Kyoto City building department, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs records them as reinforced concrete. Cream walls with a reddish tint, orange Spanish-style roof tiles and verdigris gutters give them a warm feel, and because many of the Gion Festival float neighbourhoods lie in the school district, the front is said to echo the festival floats (Kyoto Art Center).
The west building, the former main block, has a coffered 78-mat great hall and the old auditorium upstairs. The south building has a corner tower and a row of three round windows; the north building has ramps up to the upper floors. The main gate on Muromachi-dori has Secession-style octagonal piers (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kyoto Art Center). All four were registered as contributing to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Kyoto Art Center
Admission is free. The centre is open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (galleries, library and information corner until 8:00 p.m.) and closed December 28 to January 4. The auditorium, great hall, Japanese room and studios can be seen only when opened for events, but the library, café and corridors alone give a good sense of the old school (Kyoto Art Center).
It is a 5-minute walk from exits 22 and 24 of Shijo Station on the Karasuma subway line or Karasuma Station on the Hankyu line. There is no parking. The address is 546-2 Yamabushiyama-cho, Muromachi-dori Takoyakushi-sagaru, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto (Kyoto Art Center).
References
- History (Kyoto Art Center)
- https://www.kac.or.jp/history/
- Floor guide (Kyoto Art Center)
- https://www.kac.or.jp/floorguide/
- Access (Kyoto Art Center)
- https://www.kac.or.jp/access/
- Kyoto Art Center West Building (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007218
- Kyoto Art Center South Building (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007219
- Kyoto Art Center North Building (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007220
- Kyoto Art Center Main Gate and Wall (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007221
Last verified: 2026.10.07
Basic Information
| Name | Kyoto Art Center (former Meirin Elementary School) |
|---|---|
| Location | 546-2 Yamabushiyamacho, Takoyakushi-sagaru, Muromachi-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and other locations |
| Owner | Kyoto City |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (4) |
| Coordinates | 35.00547, 135.75857 |
