Shimane Prefectural Government Assembly Hall

An Assembly Hall of Horizontal Lines

The Shimane Prefectural Government Assembly Hall (島根県庁舎議事堂) is a prefectural assembly hall of 1959 in Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a reinforced concrete building of two storeys, partly three, with a building area of 1951 square metres, altered in 2014; registration number 32-0203.

An Assembly Hall Joined to the Office

The Assembly Hall of the Shimane Prefectural Government is linked by a corridor to the south of the office block; its chamber sits at the centre of the second floor under a high ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Outside it matches the office block in finish and composition, with eaves that stress the horizontal and vertical louvres at the centre of the second-floor balcony to give the front its focus (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Shimane Prefecture notes that it was built together with the main building and stresses horizontal lines in contrast to the vertical columns of the office.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency calls it, with the main building, a fine example of modernist architecture, and registered it as a model of design.

What to Look For

Look for the eaves that stress the horizontal and the vertical louvres at the centre of the balcony (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Shimane Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The prefecture asks visitors to speak to the reception desk or office first, and to photograph only with permission and without showing other users; visits may be declined depending on use. The four buildings are introduced together on the Shimane Prefectural Government Buildings page.