Shōwa
Toyama · 昭和Browse Toyama’s cultural heritage from the Shōwa period (1926 – 1989). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
Discover the Akasofu Cylindrical Water Divider in Nanto City, Toyama — a 1949 Registered Tangible Cultural Property that uses siphon principles to fairly distribute irrigation water across the Tonami Plain.
Located within Fugan Canal Kansui Park in Toyama City, the Ushijima Lock Gate is a Panama Canal-style lock built around 1934. This civil engineering heritage once regulated water levels between the Fugan Canal and Itachi River to enable boat traffic, featuring wooden mitre gates and a monolithic concrete chamber that showcase early Showa-era craftsmanship. It was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2002.
Katsura-yu is a former public bathhouse built around 1930 in Jōhana, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture. Featuring a distinctive copper-clad facade with Western-style cornice molding and gable pediment, this two-story wooden building was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2019 for its contribution to the historic temple town landscape. It now serves as a craft gallery.
Sannyuan is the most formal of the estate's three tea rooms, a four-and-a-half-mat room built in 1927 under Yabunouchi guidance and restored in 1981 after a spell away.
Komaki Dam, built on the Shogawa River in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, was the tallest dam in Asia when completed in 1930. It was the first dam in Japan to apply Dr. Nagaho Mononobe's seismic design theory and became the first river dam designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Its 17 radial gates and the stunning Shogawa Gorge continue to captivate visitors today.
Discover Sakura Bridge in Toyama City, a nationally registered tangible cultural property completed in 1935. This elegant steel two-hinged arch bridge spans the Matsukawa River along Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots, offering a rare blend of civil engineering heritage, tram lines, and seasonal beauty.
Discover Sasazu Bridge (Sasazu-bashi), a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Toyama City. This 1941 Melan-type reinforced concrete arch bridge spans the Jinzu River at the entrance to the scenic Jinzukyo Gorge.
Saburomaru Distillery in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, is the oldest whisky distillery in Japan's Hokuriku region, operating since 1952. Recommended as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2025, the distillery is home to ZEMON — the world's first cast-metal pot still developed using Takaoka's 400-year copperware tradition. Discover the beautiful kingpost truss architecture and innovative craft whisky of this remarkable heritage site.
Discover the Shakusenji Cylindrical Water Divider in Kamiichi, Toyama — a 1954 reinforced concrete irrigation facility registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property for its precision water distribution and role in ending historic water disputes.
Discover Shogawa Gōguchi Entei, a 1939 reinforced-concrete weir in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, this 10-gate radial weir unified scattered irrigation intakes to nourish one of Japan's largest alluvial fan plains.
Visit the Takeuchi Genzo Memorial Museum in Imizu, Toyama, a registered tangible cultural property housed in a 1934 Western-style town hall. Explore Japan's largest kote-e plaster relief "Twin Dragons" and the legacy of master plasterer Takeuchi Genzo.
The Former Main Building of Tanaka Elementary School in Namerikawa City, Toyama Prefecture, is a two-story wooden schoolhouse built in 1936 and registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Celebrated for its Art Deco and Renaissance-inspired interior ornamentation, it is also known as the model for the school in the anime film Wolf Children.