Old Western-style buildings in Hirosaki
Tsugaru region is the west part of Aomori Prefecture and the central city is Hirosaki.
Since samurai period, Tsugaru had been having advanced spirit.
Therefore, after the end of samurai period in 1868, Tsugaru government sent the engineers to Tokyo and they learned advanced Western technology and culture.
There are old Western-style buildings and churches in various parts of Hirosaki city.
The enginners returned, then they planned and built most of the buildings in the 1900s to 1910s.
Memorial Hall of Aomori Bank Center
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Hirosaki Church
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Memorial Hall of Aomori Bank (青森銀行記念館)
Memorial Hall of Aomori Bank is located about 250 meters east of Outemon Square.
The building was built as the head office of current Aomori Bank in 1904.
The style is similar to Renaissance architecture, but various traditional techniques of Japanese building are used.
Since 1967, it has been opened to the public as a museum.
Hirosaki Church (日本基督教団弘前教会)
Hirosaki Church is a church located about 250 meters north of Memorial Hall of Aomori Bank.
It was built as a Methodist church in 1906.
Now, it is the church of United Church of Christ in Japan founded in 1941.
Hirosaki Catholic Church
Photo by Hirosaki City
Hirosaki Episcopal Anglican Ascension Church
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Hirosaki Catholic Church (カトリック弘前教会)
Hirosaki Catholic Church is a church located about 200 meters northeast of Hirosaki Church.
It was built in 1910.
The church is constructed in the Romanesque style, and has a spire.
Hirosaki Episcopal Anglican Ascension Church (カトリック弘前教会)
Hirosaki Episcopal Anglican Ascension Church is a church located about 600 meters southeast of Memorial Hall of Aomori Bank.
It is near Chuo-Hirosaki station of Konan Railway.
It was built in 1924.
The church is constructed in the Gothic style, and features red brick architecture.
A building in Fujita Memorial Garden
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Japanese garden in Fujita Memorial Garden
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Fujita Memorial Garden (藤田記念庭園)
Fujita Memorial Garden is located about 400 meters west of Outemon Square.
It is near the southwest corner of Hirosaki Castle.
It was built by Fujita Ken-ichi, the first president of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 1919.
It has a beautiful Japanese-style garden and a Western-style building, and the site is over 2 hectares.
Hirosaki Gakuin Foreign Teacher's Residence
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Old Kaiko-sha building
Photo by Aomori Prefecture
Hirosaki Gakuin High School Foreign Teacher's Residence (弘前学院外人宣教師館)
The Foreign Teacher's Residence is located 2.2 km south of Outemon Square.
It is in the campus of Hirosaki Gakuin University just west of Hirosaki-Gakuindai-Mae station of Konan Railway.
It was built for foreign teachers of the high school in 1906, and it is open to the public as the museum of the school.
Old Kaiko-sha building (旧弘前偕行社)
Old Kaiko-sha building is located 1.8 km southwest of Outemon Square.
It was built for a welfare facility of Japanese Army in 1907.
In 1908 and 1915, Emperor Taisho stayed here.
