A Teacher-Training School of 1901
The Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building (旧山形師範学校本館, Kyū Yamagata Shihan Gakkō Honkan) is a two-storey timber school building completed in 1901 in Midoricho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 2, 1973 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is now open as the Education Museum, a branch of the Yamagata Prefectural Museum.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey timber building with a building area of 395.0 square metres, a front entrance porch and a central tower, designated together with the gatekeeper's lodge and main gate; designation number 01885, owned by Yamagata Prefecture.
From Normal School to Museum
According to the Yamagata Prefectural Museum, the Yamagata Prefectural Normal School opened in Hatagomachi, Yamagata, in 1878 and moved to a new building on the present site in 1901. It became a building of Yamagata University's Faculty of Education in 1949 and of Yamagata Kita High School in 1963.
When the school was rebuilt in 1971, everything except the front of the main building was demolished. The surviving part was partly dismantled and repaired between 1978 and 1980; in 1980 the gatekeeper's lodge and main gate were added to the designation and the building opened as the Education Museum (Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
Why It Was Designated
The Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1973. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a two-storey timber building on a U-shaped plan in a Renaissance-based style, notable for its mortar-rendered walls laid over tile-shaped bricks and finished to look like clapboard.
The Yamagata Prefectural Museum calls this fire-resistant wall construction an innovative method for its time and a valuable survival in the history of building technology.
What to Look For
According to the Yamagata Prefectural Museum, the cornice running between the two floors is a hallmark of the Renaissance style. The tower at the centre of the ridge recalls the clock tower of the first school building of 1878, and the front is symmetrical around it.
A carriage porch stands at the centre of the front; the central roof has a curved gable, the ends have decorative gables, and dormer windows sit between them. Inside, ceilings and floors are boarded diagonally, a feature with no known parallel that is said to stiffen the structure like bracing (Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
Visiting
According to the Yamagata Prefectural Museum, the Education Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (last entry 4 p.m.) and closed on Mondays, public holidays and from December 28 to January 4. Admission is 150 yen for adults and 70 yen for students. The stairs to the upper floor are steep, and there is no air conditioning.
The museum is at 2-2-8 Midoricho, Yamagata City. Take a bus from JR Yamagata Station toward Numanobe or Chitose Koen, about 10 minutes, to Kitako-mae. By car, there is free parking for 4 cars 50 metres north of the crossroads in front of the museum. Enquiries go to the Education Museum (023-642-4397).
Q&A
- When was the Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building built?
- In 1901 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
- What are its architectural features?
- A Renaissance-based two-storey timber building with mortar walls over tile-shaped bricks and a central tower recalling an earlier clock tower (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
- Can I go inside?
- Yes, as the Education Museum of the Yamagata Prefectural Museum; admission is 150 yen for adults (Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
- When is it closed?
- On Mondays, public holidays and over the New Year (Yamagata Prefectural Museum).
- When was the Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building designated?
- On June 2, 1973; the gatekeeper's lodge and main gate were added in 1980.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building (旧山形師範学校本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-2-7 Midoricho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1973/06/02 (Showa 48) |
| Quantity | 1 building (with gatekeeper's lodge and main gate) |
| Dimensions | Timber, building area 395.0 square metres, two storeys, front entrance porch, central tower |
| Owner | Yamagata Prefecture |
| Public Access | Open as the Education Museum of the Yamagata Prefectural Museum (fee; closed Mondays and holidays) |
References
- Former Yamagata Normal School Main Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/180
- Education Museum (Yamagata Prefectural Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.yamagata-museum.jp/education-museum
- Visitor information (Yamagata Prefectural Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.yamagata-museum.jp/information
- Education Museum access (Yamagata Prefectural Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.yamagata-museum.jp/education-museum/access
Last verified: 2026.10.14