An Auditorium by the Moat of Hikone Castle
The Shiga University Faculty of Economics Auditorium (former Hikone Higher Commercial School Auditorium) (滋賀大学経済学部講堂（旧彦根高等商業学校講堂）) is the timber auditorium of the former Hikone Higher Commercial School of 1924 in Banba, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 24, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 679 square metres; registration number 25-0143.
A Clapboarded Auditorium
The Shiga University Faculty of Economics Auditorium (former Hikone Higher Commercial School Auditorium) is a two-storey timber auditorium on the university site beside the western moat of Hikone Castle, with a single-storey lecture hall attached (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Almost all of its exterior is clapboarded.
The gable end has an entrance framed by pilasters, rectangular windows line the sides in continuous rows on both floors, and semicircular dormers and an elegant small tower crown the roof. It was designed by the building section of the Ministry of Education (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the pilastered entrance, the semicircular dormers and the small tower, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the semicircular dormers, the small tower on the roof and the pilastered entrance (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Shiga University (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on campus visits or access to the building was found. The two buildings are covered together on the Shiga University Hikone Campus group page.
Q&A
- When was the auditorium built?
- In 1924 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- The building section of the Ministry of Education.
- What is distinctive about it?
- Clapboarded walls crowned by semicircular dormers and a small tower.
- Where is it?
- On the Shiga University site beside the western moat of Hikone Castle.
- When was the Shiga University Faculty of Economics Auditorium (former Hikone Higher Commercial School Auditorium) registered?
- On April 24, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shiga University Faculty of Economics Auditorium (former Hikone Higher Commercial School Auditorium) (滋賀大学経済学部講堂（旧彦根高等商業学校講堂）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1-1 Banba, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001/04/24 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, 679 m² |
| Owner | Shiga University |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Shiga University Faculty of Economics Auditorium (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002149
Last verified: 2026.10.19
