Educational Resources Museum

Photograph:Educational Resources Museum ('Kyouiku Shiryoukan' )

▐ About the Building

 This building which was erected in 1901 (Meiji 34), was the main building of the former teachers' college, the Yamagata School of Education (Yamagata Shihan Gakkō), and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. It is a Renaissance-style tile-roofed two storey building with wooden crosspieces. The cornice around the border between the first and the second storeys is a notable characteristic of this style. The tower rising in the center of the building is a relic of the clock tower which was part of the old school house, founded in 1878 (Meiji 11), and adds a noble appearance, standing tall in the middle of the symmetrical building. The central carriage porch attached to the front of the building has elaborately decorated eaves. Above that there is a comb-shaped roof in the center of the building with decorated gables at both ends, and a dormer window  in between. 
 The ceiling and floor are boarded aslant, which was unprecedented in any other building. Not only beautiful to the eye, these are said to be effective as bracing struts, serving to strengthen the structural body . The outer wall has tiled bricks of  the tate-gawara  type placed on top of the foundation, and it is mortared over that, making it more fire resistant. This was an epoch-making method of building a fireproof structure at that time, and thus 
in the history of architectural  technology this is said to be one of the valuable points which remains in this old building.
 

▐ Chronology


Year Event
1878 (Meiji 11)Yamagata School of Education  (Yamagata Shihan Gakkō) opened in Hatago-machi, Yamagata City
1901 (Meiji 34)Moved to a new building, at the current location
1949 (Showa 24)Became a school building for the Department of Education, Yamagata University
1963 (Showa 38)Became the school building of Yamagata North  (Kita) High School (prefectural school)
1971 (Showa 46) To renovate the school buildings the main building, except for the front side, was dismantled
1973 (Showa 48)The main building was designated as  a National Important Cultural Property
1978 (Showa 53) The rest of the building was partly dismantled and repaired (~ 1980)
1980 (1980)
Thefront gate and the gatehouse of the former teachers' college, theYamagata School of Education (Yamagata Shihan Gakkō) were also designated as a National Important Cultural Property
Opened as the Educational Resources Museum (Kyouiku Shiryoukan), a branch building of the Yamagata Prefectural Museum
1994 (Heisei 6)Renewed the exhibition panels (~ 1996)
2008 (Heisei 20)Recognized as a Modern Industrial Heritage Property by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
 

▐ Contact  Us

Educational Resources Museum
Branch Building (Kyōiku Shiryōkan)
2-2-8 Midori-cho, Yamagata-shi, Yamagata-ken 990-0041
TEL. 023-642-4397     FAX. 023-642-4403