Choyo Gakko (朝暘学校)
Choyo Gakko was a three-story school with tile-roofing in western style, which was built in the premises of the current Tsuruoka City Hall by order of prefectural governor Michitsune MISHIMA in 1876.
History
Traditionally, Chido-kan (Confucian school) was located in Tsuruoka as a hanko (domain school). However, prefectural governor Michitsune MISHIMA built a western-style school. This was because he intended to notify the region where the people were antipathetic to the Meiji government of the prestige of the new government and the beginning of a new era. He made efforts to muster top-level human resources and build the school from his experience of construction of Ginza Renga-gai (brick town or brick street) when he was a counselor of the Tokyo city.
The name of Choyo still remains as the name of a primary school in Tsuruoka City.
Summary
Height: about 18.786 m
Building area: about 1453 m2
Number of rooms: 42
Number of craftsmen: 65,400
Construction cost: 30,000 yen
Monuments
Monument of Choyo Gakko in the premises of Tsuruoka City Hall
Monument of the prefectural official Sukeyuki HARAGUCHI, a samurai ancestor of Kagoshima, who directed the construction of the school, is located in Seiko-ji Temple in the city.
The monument shows the name of a master carpenter Kanekichi TAKAHASHI.
A sophisticated 1:50 scale model of Choyo Gakko is exhibited in the former Shonai Domain school, Chido-kan (Confucian school), opposite to the Tsuruoka City Hall.