An Art Deco Clinic in Menuma
The Former Sakata Clinic (坂田医院旧診療所, Sakata Iin kyū-shinryōjo) is the reinforced-concrete consulting building of an obstetric clinic, built in 1931 on the main shopping street of Menuma, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 23, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
According to Kumagaya City, Dr Sakata Yasutaro opened it in 1931 for obstetrics and internal medicine, and it remained in use until the end of the Showa era. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey reinforced-concrete building with a building area of 217 square metres, registration number 11-0084.
A Western Building in a Temple Town
Menuma grew up as the gate town of Menuma Shodenzan, and the Saitama Prefectural Government describes it as a river port on the Tone and a post town on a side road linking the Nakasendo with southern Kozuke. The Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual commentary notes that when the clinic opened, the area was still largely rural and Western-style buildings were a rarity.
Kumagaya City sees the clinic, built in the modern style of the early Showa era, as a likely symbol of the town's modernisation.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Sakata Clinic was registered as a structure that has become a model of design. Kumagaya City explains that it was registered as a valuable survivor of modern architecture in a provincial town.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the interior changed very little until the clinic closed in the 1980s, and the town has kept it as an example of Art Deco architecture and of medical practice in the early Showa era.
The Exterior
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a flat-roofed single-storey building with a carriage porch projecting from the north end of the east front. The front and sides are faced in scratch tiles, the vertically grooved tiles fashionable in the early Showa era, and a band of tiles laid to look like dentils runs along the eaves.
Because the porch sits to the north rather than in the centre, the front is deliberately asymmetrical. The Japan Tourism Agency adds that the entrance porch, framed by stepped arches, opens into a spacious waiting area.
Inside the Clinic
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a dispensary, waiting room, consulting room and delivery room arranged from north to south, with an X-ray room and other rooms on the west side. The Japan Tourism Agency counts 10 rooms along a long corridor, among them an examination room, an operating theatre and a darkroom.
Kumagaya City notes walls, ceilings, fittings and light fixtures in the fashion of the day, with wooden floors throughout. The lamps run from ornate Art Deco pendants to moulded milk-glass globes, and much of the original equipment survives: glass syringes and flasks, surgical instruments, an examination couch, X-ray apparatus and medical books (Japan Tourism Agency).
Visiting
The exterior of the Former Sakata Clinic can be seen from the street. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the interior opens to the public several times a year; dates vary, so check with Kumagaya City's Konan Cultural Properties Center (048-536-5062). No guidance on photography has been published.
By public transport, the Saitama Prefectural Government gives the Asahi Bus from JR Kumagaya Station to the Menuma Shoden-mae stop as about 30 minutes; the clinic stands on the same shopping street near the Menuma Shimocho stop. The address is 1420 Menuma. The same leaflet notes that the building is still used from time to time as a film location.
Q&A
- When was the Former Sakata Clinic built?
- In 1931 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Kumagaya City).
- Can I go inside the Former Sakata Clinic?
- The interior opens to the public several times a year (Japan Tourism Agency). Check the dates with the Konan Cultural Properties Center, 048-536-5062. The exterior can be seen from the street.
- What is special about the Former Sakata Clinic's exterior?
- Its front and sides are faced in scratch tiles, with a dentil-like band of tiles along the eaves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How do I get to the Former Sakata Clinic?
- Take the Asahi Bus from JR Kumagaya Station toward Menuma, about 30 minutes. The clinic is on Menuma's shopping street near the Menuma Shimocho stop (Saitama Prefectural Government).
- When was the Former Sakata Clinic registered?
- On July 23, 2004.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sakata Clinic (坂田医院旧診療所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1420 Menuma, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/07/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, single storey, building area 217 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (enquiries: Kumagaya City Konan Cultural Properties Center) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street; interior only on open days several times a year |
References
- Former Sakata Clinic (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004211
- Former Sakata Clinic (Kumagaya City)
- https://www.city.kumagaya.lg.jp/kanko/midokoro/sakataiin.html
- Former Sakata Clinic (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual commentary R3-00038)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R3-00038.html
- Former Sakata Clinic (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual commentary R3-00039)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R3-00039.html
- Overview of the Menuma district (Saitama Prefectural Government)
- https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/documents/154670/r1_menuma.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.14