An Assembly Hall Built for a Silk College
The Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium (信州大学繊維学部講堂, Shinshū Daigaku Sen'i Gakubu Kōdō), formerly the Ueda Sericultural College Auditorium, is a two-storey wooden assembly hall completed in 1929 on Shinshu University's Ueda campus in Tokida, Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 September 1998.
It was built as the hall of Ueda Sericultural College, the forerunner of today's textiles faculty. The frame is timber, the roof is sheet metal and the building covers 357 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out as a well-made building clad in Shitami-itabari, overlapping horizontal weatherboards.
Nearly a century on, the Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium is still in use. The university says it has hosted entrance and graduation ceremonies throughout its life and continues to serve for graduations and academic conferences.
Why It Was Registered
The auditorium was entered in the national register on 2 September 1998, in the 13th round of registrations, as Nagano Prefecture's building number 20-0005. It qualified under the criterion for buildings that have become a model of design, which means the listing rests on the quality of its architecture rather than on its place in the streetscape alone.
The Agency's description places it in context, as the hall of a college set up for textile education in a region where silkworm rearing was a mainstay, and then points to two features: the unusual triangular windows that project from the entrance, and carvings inside that take silk as their theme.
The design came from the Ministry of Education, whose head of the architecture section at the time was Shibagaki Teitarō; the contractor was Yanagiya-gumi. The university credits Shibagaki as the designer and notes that the Ueda auditorium is also recognised as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization, a designation made by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
What to Look For
The pointed windows at the entrance
Start at the front. Instead of sitting flush in the wall, the entrance windows jut forward in a triangular plan. Set against the long horizontal lines of the weatherboarding, they give the porch a sharp play of light and shadow, and they are the detail the Agency chose to call unusual.
Mulberry leaves, cocoons and moths
Silk motifs are scattered across the Ueda auditorium, inside and out. The faculty's open-campus leaflet says mulberry, cocoons and moths appear as decoration in many places and invites visitors to hunt for them, and the university archives describe the same mulberry and cocoon designs. Putting the silkworm's life cycle, and the leaf it feeds on, into the ornament of the building was a plain statement of what the college was for.
The hall inside
University publications describe the interior as richly decorated and weighty in atmosphere, and it is here that the silk-themed carvings mentioned by the Agency are found. The faculty also notes that the building's character makes it a regular location for film shoots.
Visiting
As of October 2026 there was no regular public opening of the interior of the Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium. It is a working hall used for ceremonies and conferences. The most reliable chance to go inside is the faculty's open campus, whose tour route includes the auditorium.
The exterior can be seen from within the campus, and both the projecting entrance windows and the weatherboarded walls are visible from outside. When classes or events are under way, please avoid lingering by the doors. Directions to the campus are on the Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology page.
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Q&A
- When was the Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium built?
- It was completed in 1929 as the hall of Ueda Sericultural College and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 September 1998.
- Who designed the Ueda auditorium at Shinshu University?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the Ministry of Education, with Shibagaki Teitarō as head of its architecture section, and the contractor Yanagiya-gumi. The university names Shibagaki as the designer.
- What should I look for at the Shinshu University textiles faculty auditorium?
- The triangular windows projecting from the entrance, and silk motifs such as mulberry, cocoons and moths. Silk-themed carvings decorate the interior.
- Can visitors go inside the Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium?
- There was no regular public opening as of October 2026. The auditorium is included in the tour route at the faculty's open campus, and the exterior can be seen from the campus grounds.
- Is the old Ueda Sericultural College Auditorium still used?
- Yes. According to the university it is still used for graduation ceremonies and academic conferences.
Basic Information
| Name | Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium (Former Ueda Sericultural College Auditorium) (信州大学繊維学部講堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-15-1 Tokida, Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/9/2 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof, building area 357 square metres |
| Owner | Shinshu University, National University Corporation |
| Public Access | No regular interior opening (exterior visible from the campus; included in open campus tours) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000763
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Auditorium (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/180673
- Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology: Campus Tour Course (Japanese)
- https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/faculty/textiles/guidance/special/step5.html
- Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology: Open Campus 2024 Leaflet (Japanese)
- https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/faculty/textiles/department/bs/ABK/images/2024.8_Leaflet.pdf
- Shinshu University Archives Center: A Historical Walk through Shinshu University (Japanese)
- https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/institution/library/archives/news/upload/s_historicalwalk_200303_s.pdf
- Shinshu University Integrated Report 2022: Cultural Facilities
- https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/guidance/publication/summary/2022/integrated_report2022/pdf/47.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.08
