Architecture and History | 重要文化財自由学園明日館

Architecture｜Myonichikan

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan was built in 1921 (Taisho year 10) as a school building for Jiyu Gakuen, which was founded by the couple Hani Motoko (wife) and Yoshikazu (husband), and was designed by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was Endo Shin who recommended Wright to Hani and his wife for the architectural design of Myonichikan. Endo was working as an assistant to Wright, who was in Japan designing the Imperial Hotel. Endo was a friend of the husband and wife of Hani. He introduced them to Wright. Wright, who resonated with the couple's educational philosophy, designed Jiyu Gakuen based on their wish to "fill a school with excellent thoughts within a simple exterior."

Hall Window

The large window in the hall overlooking the front garden can be said to be the face of Myonichikan. Wright worked hard to enhance the space within the limited construction budget, and it is clearly demonstrated in this single window. Wright designed the entire building with geometric patterns. Instead of using expensive stained glass for the hall's windows, he kept construction costs down by designing wooden window frames and bars in geometric patterns, while achieving a unique spatial composition.

Hexagonal Chairs

These chairs in the hall feature a hexagonal back with horizontal slits, similar to the Peacock Chair used in the former Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The chair was designed by either Wright or his assistant, Arata Endo. Wright considered furniture to be an integral part of the building. In other words, he always emphasized the harmony between the building and its furniture. For example, Wright applied circular designs for circular buildings and hexagonal furniture for hexagonal buildings.

Mural of wall in the Hall

One of the great discoveries made during the conservation and repair work was the mural in the hall of Myonichikan. 
The existence of the mural itself had previously been confirmed through old photographs, but it had remained vibrantly colored until now beneath the thickly painted walls. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the school's founding, this mural was painted by students under the guidance of artist Tsuruzo Ishii, who was the school's art teacher at the time. 
The motif is a verse from Jiyu Gakuen's school song, which is based on the words of the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament: "Behold, a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud..."

Dining Hall

The academy’s founder and Principal Hani wished for all the students to gather together and eat a warm, home-cooked lunch. He thought it is one the foundation of good education. For this reason, the cafeteria was designed at the center of the school building, which was unusual for school architecture at that time. 
When Wright designed it, there was only a central main floor, and the three small rooms on the north, east, and west sides later became too small, so Arata Endo added them between 1923 and 1924.
Before the preservation and repair work, there was a kitchen directly below the cafeteria, where the students on duty would prepare lunch. A simple dumbwaiter (small elevator) was installed to quickly bring the finished food to the cafeteria. 
However, this was rather time-consuming, so some students remember that they lined up on the stairs and formed a “bucket brigade” to bring the food up to the Dining Hall. After the repair work, the kitchen was moved to the newly constructed building, and the old kitchen area is now used as a machine room, office, etc.

Rm.1921｜Memorial Hall

In April 1921, Jiyu Gakuen's first entrance ceremony was held in this classroom, where the rough walls still remained and the wooden parts were not yet painted. The Hani couple had asked Wright to design the school in January of that year, so it is easy to imagine that construction was completed in just three months. Wright wrote the following to celebrate the opening of the school: "The spirit of freedom, befitting its name, Jiyu Gakuen, is the basis of the design of this small school building. A simple yet happy school for happy children. Unadorned and sincere. (omitted) The students really do look like flowers blooming on the school building. Trees and flowers are originally one. In the same way, the school building and the students are also one." 
After the entrance ceremony, construction work continued in parallel with classes, and the entire central building was completed about a year later. After reopening, it was named Rm.1921, referring to the room that was completed in 1921, and is used for a variety of purposes, including dinner parties, conferences, and meetings.

Architecture｜Auditorium (Koudou)

The auditorium on the south side of the site was designed by Arata Endo and completed in 1927. (Year Showa 2)
As the number of students increased, the hall in the central building became too small, so at the suggestion of the parents of the fifth graduating class, the auditorium was completed on the site of what was then a tennis court. 
In September 1989, large-scale renovation work was carried out, including repairs to the eaves, entrance, drainage, and fittings, and in May 1997, it was registered as an Important Cultural Property in Japan along with the other three buildings.

History

Name of Institution: Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan 
Address: 2-31-3 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 
Owner: Yoshikazu and Motoko Hani 
Design: Frank Lloyd Wright / Myonichikan, Arata Endo / Auditorium

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明日館

講堂

1921 Birth of Jiyu Gakuen

Jiyu Gakuen was founded in 1921 by Motoko and Yoshikazu Hani as a girls' school.
The school's motto was “Education for Life, not for Knowledge,” and its educational policy of having students take charge of school life, including cooking lunch, was representative of the liberal education movement of the Taisho Democracy era.
The Myonichikan is the building in which the Jiyu Gakuen was born. The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architectural master, and his student Arata Endo.
1922─1927 School Building Design

Through their friend, architect Arata Endo, the Hani's asked Wright, who was in Japan at the time to design the Imperial Hotel, to design the school building. It is said that Wright deeply sympathized with the Hani's educational philosophy and readily agreed to design the school building.
Construction of the central and west classroom buildings was completed in 1922, the east classroom building in 1925, and the auditorium in 1927, the same year the elementary school was established.
1934 Jiyu Gakuen relocates to new location and names the building “Myonichikan"

Jiyu Gakuen relocates to new location and names the building “Myonichikan
In 1934, the Jiyu Gakuen moved to Higashikurume City, Tokyo, in search of a larger site due to the increase in the number of students.
After that, “Myonichikan,” named by Mr. and Mrs. Hane for Jiyu Gakuen and the future of education in Japan, was used as a base for various activities by the school's graduates. Fortunately, the building escaped damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Pacific War, and after the war was used as a school building for the Jiyu Gakuen School of Life.
1997─1999 Re-starting as a model for dynamic conservation

Designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 1997, the school underwent a conservation and repair project subsidized by the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the municipal government.
From 1999 to 2001, three buildings (the central building, east and west classroom buildings) were restored to their original state, and from January 2015 to July 2017, the auditorium was repaired and restored to its original state.

We believe that buildings can be maintained and preserved only when they are used, and the Myonichikan is operated as a model of “dynamic preservation” that preserves the value of cultural assets while using them.

Therefore, the conservation and restoration project was carried out with the following three major themes

(1) Original restoration (window frames in the hall, copper shingles on the roof, etc.)
(2) Improvements to enhance permanence (structural reinforcement with a steel frame, measures to prevent leaks, etc.)
2001─ Myonichikan: Conservation and repair work completed

Conservation and repair work has been completed, and the building is now being operated as a dynamic preservation facility.
After the completion of the repair work, each room is available for rental for class meetings, seminars, concerts, social gatherings, etc., as well as for various purposes such as TV commercials and magazine shoots.
2017 Auditorium: conservation repairs and earthquake resistance measures completed

After the completion of the repair work, each room is available for rental for class meetings, seminars, concerts, social gatherings, etc., as well as for TV commercials, magazine photo shoots, and various other uses.

Jiyu Gakuen｜100 Years +

The past 100 years 
To the next 100 years

In addition to a detailed chronology of Jiyu Gakuen's history, this digital archive includes Jiyu Gakuen's periodicals and school newspaper, which students and alumni have long been involved in editing, as well as photos showing life at Jiyu Gakuen, mainly up to the 1950s.

External Link: Digital Archive