Shimane Prefectural Civic Center

A Civic Hall Facing the Gate of Matsue Castle

The Shimane Prefectural Civic Center (島根県民会館) is a prefectural arts complex built around a concert hall of 1968 in Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 24, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a reinforced concrete building, partly steel-framed, with four storeys above ground and one below, a building area of 3,893 square metres and a rooftop structure; registration number 32-0211.

An Arts Complex before the Castle Gate

The Shimane Prefectural Civic Center is a complex with a large concert hall as well as exhibition and meeting rooms (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It stands before the main gate of Matsue Castle, with the hall at its centre and low-rise meeting rooms around it, in consideration of its setting.

Its outer colonnade is designed to harmonise with the pilotis of the prefectural government building across the moat (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes its layout, considerate of the setting before the castle gate and in harmony with the government building, and registered it as a model of design.

What to Look For

Look for the outer colonnade and the low-rise wings around the central hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Shimane Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). At the governor's press conference on May 27, 2026, it was said that the whole building would close so that air conditioning, lighting and other works could be done together; a reporter's question put the start in June. No reopening date was found.