A Brick Chapel by William Wilson
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel (日本聖公会熊谷聖パウロ教会礼拝堂) is a brick church chapel of 1919 in Miyamachi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 10, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey brick building with a tiled roof and a building area of 141 square metres; registration number 11-0089.
It was designed by the American architect William Wilson, whom Kumagaya City describes as the designer and supervisor of chapel and classroom buildings at Rikkyo University.
A Single-Nave Brick Church
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel is a single-nave hall about 16 metres by 7 metres, with a bell tower rising at the north end of the east side and a porch at its base (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Pointed-arch windows and buttresses are set at key points along the walls.
Inside, the brick walls are left bare beneath timber scissor trusses (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Utsunomiya Museum of Art notes that the walls are laid in English bond and that the buttresses are capped with stone weatherings. A vestry adjoins the chapel, and the original Western roof tiles were replaced with Japanese tiles after the war (Kumagaya City; Kumagaya Digital Museum).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency praises its effective use of over-fired brick, darker in tone than ordinary brick, and registered it as a model of design.
According to the Utsunomiya Museum of Art, very few of Wilson's buildings survive, and all of them are of brick. The Kumagaya Digital Museum counts the chapel and its gate among the city's representative modern buildings.
What to Look For
Start at the foot of the tower. The Utsunomiya Museum of Art explains that pointed arches open on three sides of its lowest stage: the arches on the street side and the inner side can be walked through, while the south-southwest arch is open only at its point, as a screen.
On the walls, look for the tones of the over-fired brick, the buttresses with their stone weatherings and the row of small pointed windows. The chapel of Kawagoe Christ Church, consecrated in 1921, is strikingly similar; the museum names the orientation of the sanctuary and the brick bond (English bond here, Flemish bond in Kawagoe) as the main differences.
Visiting
The chapel is still used for worship (Kumagaya City). Its exterior can be seen from the street through the north gate, but no official information on interior access was found. Check with the church before photographing or entering the grounds, and avoid service times.
Q&A
- When was the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel built?
- In 1919 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Kumagaya City).
- Who designed the Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church chapel?
- The American architect William Wilson (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How large is the Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church chapel?
- It is a single-nave hall about 16 metres by 7 metres, with a building area of 141 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church chapel?
- It is still used for worship, and no official information on interior access was found.
- When was the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel registered?
- On November 10, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel (日本聖公会熊谷聖パウロ教会礼拝堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-139 Miyamachi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey brick, tiled roof, 141 m² |
| Owner | Nippon Sei Ko Kai Diocese of Kita Kanto (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street (no official information on interior access) |
References
- Nippon Sei Ko Kai Kumagaya Saint Paul's Church Chapel (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004945
- Kumagaya St Paul's Church Chapel and Gate (Kumagaya City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kumagaya.lg.jp/kanko/rekisi/bunkazai/yukeibunkazai/seipauro.html
- St Paul's Church (Kumagaya City sightseeing, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kumagaya.lg.jp/kanko/midokoro/sei_pauro.html
- Kumagaya St Paul's Church Chapel (Kumagaya Digital Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/museum/jousetu/bunkazai/j002bunka.htm
- The Second Chapel of Kumagaya St Paul's Church (Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Japanese)
- https://u-moa.jp/event/church2023/1900/index.html
- The Third Chapel of Kawagoe Christ Church and others (Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Japanese)
- https://u-moa.jp/event/church2023/2746/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.28
