A Latin-Cross Chapel Entered from the Side
The United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church Chapel (日本キリスト教団水口教会礼拝堂) is a chapel designed by the Vories architectural office of 1930 in Minakuchicho Joto, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 28, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building roofed in slate and partly in sheet iron, with a building area of 130 square metres; registration number 25-0133.
A Latin-Cross Outline
The United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church Chapel is a plain church building designed by the Vories architectural office, with a Latin-cross outline whose main ridge runs north to south (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its plan is unusual: the entrance is in the eastern half of the south gable end, and the east-west transept serves as the sanctuary (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the distinctive plan, a Latin cross whose transept forms the sanctuary, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the entrance set to the east of the south gable and the sanctuary turned across the transept (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by the church (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found. The church as a whole is covered on its group page.
Q&A
- When was the chapel built?
- In 1930 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- The Vories architectural office.
- What is unusual about the plan?
- It is a Latin cross whose transept serves as the sanctuary.
- Where is the entrance?
- In the eastern half of the south gable end.
- When was the United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church Chapel registered?
- On April 28, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church Chapel (日本キリスト教団水口教会礼拝堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-21 Minakuchicho Joto, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/04/28 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, slate and partly sheet-iron roof, 130 m² |
| Owner | United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- United Church of Christ in Japan Minakuchi Church Chapel (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001713
Last verified: 2026.10.19
