Official

The Great Kanto Earthquake was damaged by 1.7 million people, three-quarters of Tokyo's population. Under the spearheaded by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Shinpei Goto, who was nicknamed "Great Buroshiki", a number of reconstruction projects have been realized at a rare scale and speed in the world to stand up from an unprecedented disaster. Roads, land readjustment, bridges, parks, and the construction of elementary schools must not be forgotten.……。

Head west along Ginza Miyuki-dori, where fashionable cafes and boutiques are lined up, a building with green vines covering the wall with a series of arch windows appears on your right. Completed in 1929 (Showa 4), Yasuaki Elementary School in Chuo Ward is one of the "Reconstruction Elementary Schools" built in Tokyo at the time. Although a total of 117 schools were born, the active elementary schools that still remain in Chuo-ku at that time are rare, with only Tokiwa Elementary School in Nihonbashi Motoishi-cho remaining. Historic buildings selected by Tokyo Metropolitan Government

See the auditorium through a grove from Sukiyabashi Park

The design of the series of reconstruction elementary schools was handled by Tokyo City at that time, except for the very early school building. At the time, groundbreaking structures and equipment were adopted, such as three-story reinforced concrete building, steam heating, and flush toilets. In order to bounce back the bad conditions of the city center school building where the land is narrow and the playground is not enough, a "reconstruction small park" is located next to many elementary schools. In an emergency, the idea of evacuation site, a nearby resident, gives a glimpse of the wisdom learned from the disaster experience.

The poop was moderate, and let's go to the school where Hiromi Arakawa, the principal of Yasuaki Elementary School, waits. When you stand at the entrance, you will first be fascinated by the geometric design of the eaves and pillars lined with sharp streaks. An expert in Tokyo, who drafted a comprehensive plan for reconstruction elementary schools, thought that it was important to create an environment that considered the psychology and educational purposes of children, and emphasized the aesthetics of the school building. In terms of design, there are many forms in this school building that use a lot of curves, which is one of its features, or the influence of the artistic style called Germany Expressionism that was done at that time.

Entrance to Yasuaki Elementary School, where geometric modeling is impressive.

Under the guidance of Mr. Arakawa, when the children looked into the empty classroom on the third floor where they went to the open class, the effect of the arch window just reaching the ceiling or the brightness without lighting. In this case, you will be able to see the blue sky even in the children of the desk farthest from the window. The science room is also an open space with high semicircular windows. In the past, there was a fierce debate among city design personnel about whether to create a tatami-mated "manners room" that teaches manners, or to prioritize the "science room" in line with the age of science. From the remaining facilities in the school, you may be able to read the "view of education" of the people involved at that time.

Consideration should be given to the lighting of the science room.

"In general, it seems that there are many cases that both serve as an auditorium and a gymnasium." While saying this, Mr. Arakawa showed a little proud of the large horseshoe-shaped facility built in front of the classroom building. The 1st and 2nd floors are indoor gymnasiums with basketball goal stands and jump boxes, but when you open the door on the 3rd floor—in another world where various instruments such as piano are lined up on the stage where crimson curtains descend elegantly. "Educational facilities open to the community" is one of the important principles of reconstruction elementary schools, but did the people of Ginza gather here to listen to lectures and music?

The theaters in the city are also elegant auditorium

When an old graduate read a sentence that spelled memories, there was such a word. "The drawing room with glass ceilings is a wonderful atelier that can adjust the light, and even children who don't like drawing come here, they are worried about trying something.…」。 However, for children who are currently enrolled, a number of elaborate equipment is probably a natural everyday life. It's still a long way to fully understand the disaster 100 years ago and the ideals that our predecessors put in the design of the school building to overcome it.

That's why Mr. Arakawa is talking about this. "I'm taking the opportunity to create opportunities for children to experience the history of Yasuaki."

Tokiwa Elementary School, whose rhythmic arch windows are eye-catching.

By the way, 25 reconstruction elementary schools were built in the ward, but most of them disappeared due to closure or rebuilding, and the use of buildings whose appearance was almost as old as the former Jushi Elementary School has changed. . Another school that remains as active is Tokiwa Elementary School, which is close to the Bank of Japan's head office and Mitsui Main Building, but it can be seen at a glance from the beautiful arrangement of arch windows that indicate that it was during the reconstruction period. The school with a lot of retro feeling, such as the waistboard of the wall where the paint marks can be felt, and the ceiling where the plumbing is peeled, conveys the faint dignity and warmth of the school.

"It's often said that if you guide the people involved, the curved railing of this staircase is good," says principal Kenshi Ukitsu. The handrails on the stairs of the zigzag are painted with white paint only on the dark stone heavenly edge, and the tip is like a smooth cylinder. The corner of the wall of the landing is also loose and round, giving a soft impression.

The area around the stairs that do not feel the coldness of stone

Perhaps this is not only a sense of appearance, but also a safety consideration that encourages children to move smoothly. Needless to say, safety is a major pillar in the design of the reconstruction elementary school, and in the event of an emergency, it was also required to arrange staircases so that children could evacuate within three minutes.

In addition, what feels the history of this school building is the existence of a "pedal" where teachers stand in the classroom. Some schools seem to have negative voices about setting up a podium as a symbol of the "view from the top" of the teaching side, but they are intrigued as a relic of the times.

The podium of the old remnants is smaller than I expected

In fact, Mr. Ukitsu, the current principal, has a career whose predecessor was Yasuaki Elementary School, and has served as principals of two reconstruction elementary schools remaining in Chuo-ku. What I often hear about these schools recently is that graduates want to hold an alumni association in the classroom they have learned. "Some years have passed since I graduated, and I thought that my classroom was good." It will surely be a matter of time that the principal's wishes will come true.

▽Major Reference Materials

"Tokyo Created by the Great Kanto Earthquake" Masayuki Takemura Nakakou

"Great Kanto Earthquake and Reconstruction Elementary School" Masayasu Kobayashi, Keiso Shobo

"Japanese Modern Architecture (Lower) Taisho era, Showa Hen" Terunobu Fujimori Iwanami Shinsho

"Reading the History of the Reconstruction of the Imperial Capital," Kazukiyo Matsuba Shinchosha