A Police Box in Temple Dress on Mount Koya
The Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box (橋本警察署高野幹部交番, Hashimoto Keisatsusho Koya Kanbu Koban) is a two-storey timber police building of 1921 in Koyasan, Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture, which in 2005 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a copper roof and a building area of 110 square metres, owned by Wakayama Prefecture.
Wakayama Prefecture calls it one of few police buildings to borrow so heavily from temple architecture, perhaps because it stands on the sacred mountain of Koya. The place name is read Koya.
Design
The Agency credits the design to Matsuda Shigeki, an architect employed by the prefecture.
The gabled roof is covered in copper, with a small dormer gable at the centre of the front. The walls are made to look like exposed-frame construction, with boarding on the ground floor and plaster above.
The Agency calls it a good example of modern Japanese-style architecture that adopts temple details such as boat-shaped brackets, struts, frog-leg struts and the gable truss.
What to Look For
Wakayama Prefecture notes that the walls are mainly Japanese in style while the tall windows are Western, and that the two are skilfully blended.
From the front, look for the frog-leg strut under the dormer gable and the brackets and struts under the eaves: familiar temple details set into the face of a police box.
Inside, according to the prefecture, the building is conventionally Western, with offices on the ground floor and a meeting room upstairs. The back has been extended, but the front keeps its original appearance.
Visiting the Koya Police Box
The Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box is still in use, so the interior cannot be visited. The exterior can be seen from the road; please do not interfere with police work.
Questions about the cultural property can be sent to the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education cultural heritage section, 073-441-3730.
Q&A
- When was the Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box built?
- It was built in 1921.
- How is 高野 read in the name?
- Koya.
- What are the features of the Koya Police Box?
- Temple-style details such as a dormer gable, frog-leg strut and boat-shaped brackets, combined with tall Western windows.
- Who designed the Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box?
- Matsuda Shigeki, an architect employed by Wakayama Prefecture.
- Can I go inside the Koya Police Box?
- No; it is still a working police box. The exterior is visible from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box (橋本警察署高野幹部交番) |
|---|---|
| Location | 638 Koyasan, Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, copper roof, building area 110 square metres |
| Owner | Wakayama Prefecture |
| Public Access | Working police box; exterior only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005028
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140798
- Wakayama Prefecture: Hashimoto Police Station Koya Police Box (Japanese)
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai_127/
Last verified: 2026.09.28