A Memorial to the Treaty of Shimonoseki
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall (日清講和記念館) is a reinforced-concrete memorial hall at Amidaiji-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, opened in June 1937 to convey the significance of the 1895 Sino-Japanese peace conference and the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey reinforced-concrete building with a partial basement, a tiled roof and a building area of 138 square metres; registration number 35-0068, owned by Shimonoseki City. It is also a component of the Japan Heritage story "Kanmon Nostalgic Straits" (Japan Heritage Portal).
The Peace Conference and the Hall
According to the Shimonoseki City Museum of History, the Sino-Japanese War broke out in the summer of 1894, and on March 19, 1895, a steamer carrying the Qing peace delegation anchored in the Kanmon Straits. The conference opened the next day at the Shunpanro in Shimonoseki, and after seven sessions the peace treaty, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, was signed on April 17.
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall was built next to the Shunpanro, where the conference was held. The Shunpanro building was destroyed in the 1945 air raid on Shimonoseki, but the concrete memorial hall survived, so that the chairs actually used at the conference were saved (Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall was registered as a building that has become a model of design. Yamaguchi Prefecture describes it as a work in the Imperial Crown style, rendering a tiled roof, brackets and gable pendants in concrete while adding Western touches such as a stone-faced base and iron grilles on tall windows, and notes that it keeps its original state well.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes a tall single-storey hall facing north-west, with a basement on the east side taking advantage of the sloping site. Under a hip-and-gable tiled roof with a gable-end entrance and porch roof, stone-faced lower walls, bold pilasters and large rectangular upper windows combine with traditional brackets and gable pendants for a dignified presence.
Inside the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall, the conference is re-created with the chairs and furnishings actually used, and calligraphy by the plenipotentiaries Ito Hirobumi and Li Hongzhang is on display (Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
Visiting
According to the Shimonoseki City Museum of History, the hall is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), and admission is free. As the hall is unstaffed, enquiries go to the Shimonoseki City Museum of History (083-241-1080).
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall is a 2-minute walk from the Akama Jingu-mae bus stop, about 10 minutes by bus from JR Shimonoseki Station (Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation).
Q&A
- When did the hall open?
- In June 1937 (Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
- Why was it built here?
- It stands next to the Shunpanro, where the 1895 peace conference was held and the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed (Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
- What style is the building?
- The Imperial Crown style, combining traditional Japanese forms in concrete with Western elements (Yamaguchi Prefecture).
- What can be seen inside?
- A re-creation of the conference with the original chairs and furnishings, and calligraphy by Ito Hirobumi and Li Hongzhang (Shimonoseki City Museum of History).
- When was the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall registered?
- On January 26, 2011.
Basic Information
| Name | Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall (日清講和記念館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-4 Amidaiji-cho and others, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, single storey with partial basement, tiled roof, building area 138 square metres |
| Owner | Shimonoseki City |
| Public Access | Open daily, free admission |
References
- Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008581
- 日清講和記念館 (Cultural Properties of Yamaguchi Prefecture)
- https://bunkazai.pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp/sp/bunkazai/summary.asp?mid=110201
- 日清講和記念館 (Shimonoseki City Museum of History)
- https://www.shimohaku.jp/page0106.html
- 日清講和記念館 (Japan Heritage Portal)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/3484/
- 日清講和記念館 (Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation)
- https://yamaguchi-tourism.jp/spot/detail_10485.html
Last verified: 2026.10.11