About Vories Memorial Hospital
Vories Memorial Hospital (ヴォーリズ記念病院) at Kitanosho-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, opened on May 25, 1918, as the Omi Sanatorium for tuberculosis; its former main building of that year (Tucker House, registered 2014) and its chapel dedicated in 1937 (registered 2009) are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) (Vories Memorial Hospital, Agency for Cultural Affairs).
According to the hospital, W. M. Vories, troubled by the toll of tuberculosis on young people, appealed to friends in America for a modern sanatorium. His friend Mary Tucker funded the building in memory of her mother Anna, who had died of the disease. Renamed in 1946, the sanatorium later became Vories Memorial Hospital. Both buildings belong to the Omi Brotherhood (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Two Buildings
The former main building, Tucker House, is a timber sanatorium block with a gabled three-storey centre and wings ending in half-octagons; wide openings on the upper floor, where the sickrooms were, gave ventilation and light (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The chapel, a single-storey timber building dedicated for patients and staff to worship, has white mortar walls with round-arched openings that stand out among the trees (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Vories Memorial Hospital). Sunday services are still held there and are open to local people (Vories Memorial Hospital).
Visiting and Location
According to the hospital, a Sunday service is held in the chapel (the old chapel) every week from 8:30 to 9:00; services are occasionally cancelled, so check in advance. No public opening information has been confirmed for the former main building.
The buildings are at Kitanosho-cho, Omihachiman City (chapel 480-1, former main building 492). As they are part of a hospital, be considerate of patients.
References
- Former Main Building of Vories Memorial Hospital (Tucker House) (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010179
- Vories Memorial Hospital Chapel (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007751
- Chapel (Vories Memorial Hospital)
- https://www.vories.or.jp/about/chapel
- History of Vories and the Hospital (Vories Memorial Hospital)
- https://www.vories.or.jp/about/history
- Vories Buildings (Omihachiman Official Tourism Site)
- https://www.omi8.com/stories/vories/buildings
Last verified: 2026.10.11
Basic Information
| Name | Vories Memorial Hospital (Former Omi Sanatorium) |
|---|---|
| Location | 480-1 and 492 Kitanosho-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Owner | Omi Brotherhood foundation |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (2) |
| Coordinates | 35.15219, 136.08910 |
