Yamanashi Eiwa Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (Greenbank Chapel)

A Mission School Chapel in Kofu

The Yamanashi Eiwa Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (Greenbank Chapel) (山梨英和中学校・高等学校講堂グリンバンク・チャペル) is a mission-school auditorium built in 1949 at Atago-machi, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 31, 2022. It was designed by Shiokawa Akira (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a three-storey building of reinforced concrete and timber with a slate roof and a building area of 379 square metres, altered around 1965 and in 2005; registration number 19-0166, owned by the Yamanashi Eiwa Gakuin school corporation.

A Symbol of Post-War Recovery

According to the school's history, Yamanashi Eiwa opened in 1889 as a girls' school with the help of missionaries sent by the Methodist Church of Canada, and moved to its present site on Mount Atago in 1906. Its buildings were lost in the 1945 air raid on Kofu, and this chapel, the former auditorium, was completed in 1949 with the second phase of rebuilding.

The chapel bears the name of Miss Greenbank, a Canadian missionary principal much loved by her students. The school records that she set the standard uniform in 1928, taught English to young people of the town as well, and was made an honorary citizen of Kofu in 1957.

Value as a Registered Cultural Property

The Yamanashi Eiwa Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (Greenbank Chapel) was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a mission-school chapel set against the mountains of Kai, praising the refined open space of its hall.

What to Look For

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the ground floor is brick-faced reinforced concrete, while the hall on the second and third floors is timber with a mortar finish, under a T-shaped gabled slate roof. The king-post truss rafters are skilfully hidden in the sloping ceiling, creating a refined, lofty interior.

The school points to the ceiling, which recalls the bottom of a ship, and lamps shaped like anchors. A pipe organ was installed in 1990 for the school's centenary, and the chapel is still used for worship and ceremonies (Yamanashi Eiwa).

Visiting

The Yamanashi Eiwa Junior and Senior High School Auditorium (Greenbank Chapel) is a working school building used for worship and ceremonies. Visitors to the school register at the office entrance and wear a visitor badge. No public opening days have been confirmed, so contact the school before planning a visit.

The address is 112 Atago-machi, Kofu City, an 8-minute walk from the north exit of JR Kofu Station (Yamanashi Eiwa).