Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel: A Farmhouse Turned Church
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel (日本聖公会橋本基督教会旧礼拝堂) is an early Meiji farmhouse moved and converted for church use in Kosada, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that the building was an early Meiji house originally in Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, moved and altered in 1900. It is a single-storey timber building with a gabled roof of pantiles and a building area of 162 square metres, owned by the Kyoto diocese of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (Anglican Church in Japan).
Why It Was Registered
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel is registration number 30-0069, listed under the criterion of being a model of design. It has a four-room plan: the four raised rooms served as the pastor's office and home, and the earth-floored area, given a wooden floor when the house was moved, became the chapel.
The Agency describes it as one of the few examples of a church created from a house while keeping the traditional farmhouse form.
What to Look For
The key is how the earth-floored work area of a farmhouse was floored over to become a place of worship. Outside, it still looks like a gabled, tile-roofed farmhouse, quite unlike a Western-style church.
The raised rooms went to the pastor and the earthen area to the congregation, showing how the layout of a house was adapted for a Meiji mission church.
Visiting
No official information on visiting was found. As a church building, check with the church before planning a visit, and be considerate of services and neighbours when viewing the exterior.
Q&A
- What is the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel?
- An early Meiji farmhouse from Yoshino, moved to Hashimoto in 1900 and converted for church use, registered in 2005.
- How was the Hashimoto Church Former Chapel laid out?
- A four-room house: the raised rooms served as the pastor's office and home, and the floored-over earthen area became the chapel.
- Why was the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel registered?
- As one of the few churches created from a house while keeping the traditional farmhouse form.
- How large is the building?
- Single-storey timber with a gabled pantile roof, 162 square metres in area.
- Can I visit the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel?
- No official visiting information was found; contact the church in advance.
Basic Information
| Name | Nippon Sei Ko Kai Hashimoto Church Former Chapel (日本聖公会橋本基督教会旧礼拝堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-244 Kosada, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/2/9 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 162 square metres |
| Owner | Kyoto Diocese, Nippon Sei Ko Kai (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Hashimoto Church Former Chapel (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004603
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hashimoto Church Former Chapel (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184513
Last verified: 2026.09.27