Petition to Preserve and Pass on the Yoshida Dormitory Buildings

Petition to Preserve and Pass on the Former Yoshida Dormitory Buildings (the Main Building and Dining Hall) as “Living Architectural Heritage”

Yoshida Dormitory at Kyoto University was constructed in 1913 (Taisho 2) and is one of the oldest surviving student dormitories in Japan. It predates the completion of the Clock Tower, one of Kyoto University’s most iconic buildings, by more than a decade. The former dormitory complex, which retains almost all of its original appearance, consists of a two-story wooden Main Building and a single-story Dining Hall. It is highly regarded as a large-scale modern building in a distinctive Japanese-Western architectural style. Furthermore, part of the Main Building and the Dining Hall was relocated from, or incorporates timber salvaged from, the dormitories of the former Third Higher Middle School, later the Third Higher School (Sanko). Their origins can therefore be traced back to July 1889 (Meiji 22), making them the oldest surviving buildings at Kyoto University. Yoshida Dormitory is also a “living heritage” (living architectural heritage), having continuously served as student accommodation for more than 100 years since its construction. As a building that embodies the history of higher education in Kyoto since the Meiji period, it is a valuable cultural heritage for the citizens of Kyoto as well. However, it was not until the 2000s that the historical and architectural value of Yoshida Dormitory began to receive wider recognition. One important background factor was the revision of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, which led to the broader recognition of modern architecture as cultural heritage. In the “Comprehensive Survey of Modern Japanese-Style Architecture in Kyoto Prefecture” conducted in fiscal years 2006–2008, Yoshida Dormitory was selected as one of the buildings to be surveyed. In 2015, the Society of Architectural Historians of Japan and the Kinki Chapter of the Architectural Institute of Japan submitted a formal request for its preservation and continued use to then-President Juichi Yamagiwa, describing Yoshida Dormitory as “a rare example from the perspective of architectural history” and “an irreplaceable part of Japan’s modern historical architectural heritage.” In response to such requests, Kyoto University stated in its 2019 document, “Future Direction of Yoshida Dormitory,” that it would “take into consideration the historical background of the Main Building as an architectural structure.” Nevertheless, on April 14 of this year, Kyoto University announced on its website its policy to replace the Main Building of Yoshida Dormitory with a new building. Although the university again refers to its previous policy of “taking into consideration the historical background of the building as an architectural structure,” it provides no explanation of how the preservation of the building has been examined. At the same time, the phrase “utilization of the site created by the rebuilding” suggests that the Main Building will be demolished and the site returned entirely to vacant land. The word “created” in this context gives no indication that the loss of a cultural heritage asset is being recognized or considered. Once a historic building is lost, it can never be recovered. In explaining its policy of rebuilding, Kyoto University emphasizes the “insufficient seismic resistance due to deterioration” of the building and “the lives and safety of students.” However, the university’s claim that the Main Building is in a condition so dangerous that students must immediately vacate it was rejected in the first-instance judgment in the litigation in which seismic safety was one of the issues in dispute. Nor has any assessment demonstrating that seismic retrofitting or repair is impossible been presented. The idea that an aging wooden building can only be demolished is outdated. For example, Kyoto is home to traditional machiya houses more than 150 years old that continue to be inhabited even after being designated as Important Cultural Properties by the national government. There is also a system of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, which places greater emphasis on protecting historic buildings through their continued use and adaptation. Numerous traditional machiya and old houses have been renovated and put to use under this system. Kyoto University has also stated that it intends to provide an environment “suited to contemporary student life.” Registered Tangible Cultural Properties allow relatively greater flexibility in interior alterations and certain changes to exteriors, making sophisticated adaptation to contemporary use possible. We therefore propose that Kyoto University register the Main Building and Dining Hall as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties and continue to use them while preserving their historic architectural character. Kyoto University has already registered many buildings on its campus as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, enhancing their value and significance. The adjacent Rakuyu Kaikan, completed in 1925, is one such example. With the Daimonji hill of the Higashiyama mountain range and Yoshida Hill in the background, the Yoshida South Campus forms a high-quality campus landscape in which the contrasting modern buildings of Yoshida Dormitory and Rakuyu Kaikan stand side by side, conveying the layers of history that have shaped the university. Making effective use of its architectural heritage and contributing to the character of the surrounding area is also a responsibility of a university that has developed within Kyoto’s rich natural and historic landscape. We propose a “third path”: rather than choosing between replacing an aging dormitory through a process of demolition and new construction and simply continuing to use the existing building as it is, the university should regenerate it through renovation that preserves and makes use of its historical value. To this end, we ask Kyoto University to: 1. Promptly undertake seismic retrofitting and repair work on the Main Building of Yoshida Dormitory in order to prevent further deterioration of the building. 2. Register the historically significant buildings of the former dormitory complex―the Main Building and Dining Hall―as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, and formulate a plan for their preservation and continued use. 3. Renovate the Main Building while making use of its existing structural system and historic building materials, and preserve it for future generations as “living architectural heritage. In contemporary society, the value of wooden architecture is being reconsidered as part of efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Yoshida Dormitory contains abundant high-quality timber that would be difficult to obtain today. Continuing to use these materials rather than discarding them can demonstrate what a sustainable society can look like. Indeed, the reuse of salvaged timber was already practiced when Yoshida Dormitory was first constructed more than 100 years ago. Rather than demolishing and removing buildings simply because they have aged, regenerating them and continuing to use them represents a global movement toward a circular society. We hope that Kyoto University, as a university aspiring to become an internationally outstanding research university, will lead the world not only in education and research but also in creating environmentally responsible campuses and passing historic architecture on to future generations.