A Research Office Built for Snow Country
The Former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Snowy Region Rural Economy Research Institute Building (旧農林省積雪地方農村経済調査所庁舎) is a two-storey timber research office of 1937 in Ishikawa-cho, Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, which in 2014 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a metal roof and a building area of 356 square metres, altered in 1939 and moved in 1993, owned by Shinjo City.
The Agency calls it a rare surviving work of the prewar Ministry of Finance building department.
Structure
According to the Agency, it faces east, with rooms along a single corridor and a length of 36 metres. The steep gabled metal roof, designed for heavy snow, carries a row of dormer windows.
The walls are clapboarded, with a gabled entrance porch at the centre of the front.
What to Look For
Shinjo City explains that the institute, known as Setcho, worked with the people of the Mogami region to study life in snow country, guided and trained them in farming, industry and commerce, and helped shape national policy for snowy regions. It closed in 1983 and was transferred to the city as a museum.
The dormers along the steep roof give it the look of a research institute built for snow country.
Visiting the Former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Snowy Region Rural Economy Research Institute Building
Shinjo City says the Snow Country Information Centre restores part of the Setcho buildings and holds some 40,000 items on snow country, including the institute's reports, with a library and exhibition room.
Enquiries: Snow Country Information Centre, 0233-22-7891.
Q&A
- When was the building built?
- In 1937; it was moved in 1993.
- What is distinctive about it?
- A long corridor-plan office with a steep gabled roof and dormers for heavy snow.
- What was Setcho?
- A Ministry of Agriculture institute that studied snow-country life and helped shape policy.
- Who designed it?
- The prewar Ministry of Finance building department.
- How is it used today?
- As part of Shinjo's Snow Country Information Centre.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Snowy Region Rural Economy Research Institute Building (旧農林省積雪地方農村経済調査所庁舎) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-13 Ishikawa-cho, Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/4/25 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, metal roof, building area 356 square metres |
| Owner | Shinjo City |
| Public Access | Open as the Snow Country Information Centre |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Snowy Region Rural Economy Research Institute (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009884
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Snowy Region Rural Economy Research Institute (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/232311
- Shinjo City: Snow Country Information Centre (Japanese)
- https://www.city.shinjo.yamagata.jp/s026/030/20150302134045.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28