Historic Schools
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseLocation: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・10:10
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
28 mm ISO 100 for 1/50 sec. at ƒ/11
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseLocation: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・09:36
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
28 mm ISO 100 for 1/320 sec. at ƒ/8
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseLocation: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・09:59
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
40 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/11
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseLocation: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・10:03
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
28 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/11
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseLocation: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・10:07
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
45 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/11
Historic Meiji and Taisho Era Schoolhouses in Rural Japan
明治と大正時代の歴史的木造校舎―旧津金学校と大正校舎
These photographs capture two historically significant school buildings in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, nestled in the mountains at the southern foot of Mt. Yatsugatake. The building on the left is the Taisho Era School (大正校舎, Taishō-Kōsha), originally constructed in 1924. To the right stands the Old Tsugane School (旧津金学校, Kyū-Tsugane-Gakkō), built in 1875 and in continuous use until 1985.
Together, these schools illustrate Japan’s architectural and educational transformation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The 1875 Tsugane School reflects the Meiji-era movement to modernize education, blending traditional Japanese wooden construction with Western influences such as glass-paneled windows, gabled entrances, and symmetrical layouts inspired by European schoolhouses. The 1924 Taisho Era School, built to serve a growing student population, continued this hybrid style while incorporating updated materials and spatial arrangements suited to Japan’s rapidly evolving social and educational systems.
Although the original Taisho building was demolished in 1997, it was faithfully reconstructed using original blueprints and now functions as a community cultural center. The Old Tsugane School has been thoughtfully repurposed to house a retro-themed café and the Sutama History Museum, preserving both its atmosphere and architectural integrity.
Together, these structures stand as enduring symbols of Japan’s transition from feudal governance under the Tokugawa shogunate to a modern constitutional monarchy, embodying a national education system influenced by both global innovation and Japanese tradition.
I discovered these schools by accident while exploring the local area near the Waterwheel Village Park and I'm genuinely glad I took the time to check. The moment felt like stumbling across a time capsule in the foothills of Mt. Yatsugatake — a reminder of how much history is quietly waiting to be found in Japan’s rural heartlands.
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