Tanioka Memorial Hall

A Clock-Tower School Rebuilt after the 1934 Typhoon

The Tanioka Memorial Hall (谷岡記念館) is a commercial school building of 1935 in Mikuriyasakaemachi, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on September 26, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a four-storey reinforced concrete building with a building area of 807 square metres and a rooftop tower; registration number 27-0105.

A School Rebuilt after the Muroto Typhoon

The Tanioka Memorial Hall was built as the Joto Commercial School, now the Osaka University of Commerce, after the Muroto Typhoon of 1934, and is owned by the Tanioka Gakuen educational corporation (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a four-storey reinforced concrete building, long from north to south, with a clock tower at the front and an auditorium rising through the third and fourth floors.

Its smooth walls, arches and round windows show the character of the period well (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It now serves as an exhibition building; according to the Osaka University of Commerce, it houses the Museum of Commercial History and the exhibition room of its amusement industry institute.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that its smooth walls, arches and round windows show the character of the period, and registered it as a model of design.

What to Look For

Look for the clock tower on the front, the auditorium through two floors, and the arches and round windows (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by the Tanioka Gakuen educational corporation (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Osaka University of Commerce, it houses the Museum of Commercial History and other exhibition rooms; check the university's official website for opening days and hours.