A Timber Church with Round-Arched Windows
The Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) (日本基督教団燕教会) is a timber church with a former nursery school below and a chapel above of 1930 in Chuodori, Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 26, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 206 square metres, extended in 1964 and 1970; registration number 15-547.
Round-Arched Windows and a Cross on the Gable
Tsubame Church, in the centre of Tsubame, is a two-storey timber church of 1930, gabled and roofed in pantiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Facing west on a long, narrow plan, it has a toilet projecting at the front and a storeroom at the back.
The ground floor was a nursery school and the upper floor is the chapel; the walls are of clapboard, round-arched windows line the upper floor, and a cross stands on the front gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency calls it a timber church that shapes the local townscape.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the row of round-arched windows upstairs and the cross on the front gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on public access was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1930, extended in 1964 and 1970.
- How is it laid out?
- A former nursery below, the chapel above.
- What marks the exterior?
- Clapboard, arched windows and a cross.
- Where is it?
- In the centre of Tsubame.
- When was the Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) registered?
- On February 26, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) (日本基督教団燕教会) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3361 Chuodori 2-chome and other lots, Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/02/26 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 206 m² |
| Owner | Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Tsubame Church (United Church of Christ in Japan) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013703
Last verified: 2026.10.25