Shōwa
Tokyo · 昭和Browse Tokyo’s cultural heritage from the Shōwa period (1926 – 1989). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
Rebuilt in 1932 after the Great Kanto Earthquake, this reinforced-concrete building on the Etchujima campus wears scratch tile and a great semicircular arch.
Built in 1932 as the campus library alongside Building 1, this scratch-tile structure carries a rounded, ship-like projection at its rear on the Etchujima campus.
Built in 1933 as the main building of the Fisheries Training Institute, this symmetrical scratch-tile structure centers on four vertical pilasters.
Raymond's last prewar work here, finished in 1938 under Sugiyama Masanori. A concrete tower, precast tracery, geometric stained glass, a fan-shaped hall.
Built in 1927 for the family of founder A. K. Reischauer, in the years when Raymond was moving out from under Wright. Its ground floor serves students now.
Built in 1931 as the university library, this white concrete hall closes the axis from the front gate. A Latin motto is cut into its wall, and Wright's echo lingers.
Completed in 1933 at Komaba and registered in 2000, this clock tower was designed by Uchida Yoshikazu so the university and First Higher School would read as one.
Completed in 1935 at Hongo and registered in 1998, it replaced Tatsuno Kingo's engineering hall lost to the 1923 quake. Uchida Yoshikazu gave it a pointed arch.
Built in 1929 at Komaba for the Aeronautical Research Institute and registered in 2000, Building 13 wraps nine horizontal bands around its mass, striped above.
Discover the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law Building No. 3, a registered tangible cultural property designed by Yoshikazu Uchida in 1927. Explore its Gothic arches, scratch tile façade, and the historic Hongo campus.
Completed in 1935 at Hongo and registered in 1998, it carries a pointed-arch arcade through its ground floor. Its porch finial came from the earlier building here.
Completed in 1938 at Hongo and registered in 1998, it faces its twin across the campus axis, yet its western end becomes L-shaped in answer to Law Building 3.
Completed in 1937 at Yayoi and registered in 2010, this was the first baseball facility in Japan to gain the status. A cantilevered arch carries the seating roof.
Completed in 1958, the 333-meter Tokyo Tower was the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower at the time, symbolizing Japan's postwar recovery and rapid economic growth. Designed by structural engineer Naitō Tachū as a masterpiece of earthquake-resistant engineering, it was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2013. With panoramic views from its Main Deck and Top Deck, seasonal illuminations, and a location rich in surrounding heritage, it continues to captivate visitors from around the world.
Built around 1931 beside the Azumabashi crossing in Asakusa, this small concrete subway entrance carries curved eaves, round columns and a copper temple roof.
Completed in 1953 on the rim of the Kanda River gorge in Tokyo, this white concrete entrance to Ochanomizu Station wraps ribbon windows around a curved corner.
Completed in 1959, the Yotsuya Overpass Bridge is a 110-meter steel Gerber bridge that crosses the JR Chuo Line at a 30-degree angle while supporting the curved Marunouchi Line tracks and Yotsuya Station. It became one of the first civil engineering structures in Tokyo registered as a Tangible Cultural Property.
Completed in 1934, the TUAT Faculty of Agriculture Main Building is a three-story steel-reinforced concrete academic building designed by the Tokyo Imperial University Building Division under Uchida Yoshikazu, famed architect of Yasuda Auditorium. Featuring an E-shaped floor plan and a central clock tower, it is registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property and open to the public on weekdays.
Discover Namiki House in Tokyo's Zoshigaya neighborhood — a 1953 wooden apartment registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, where manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka lived and created iconic works like Astro Boy and Princess Knight.
Nihon Gakuen Building No. 1 is a distinguished reinforced concrete school building completed in 1936 in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. Designed by the renowned architect Imai Kenji — a graduate of the school who introduced Gaudí to Japan — it features a monumental columned entrance and was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.