petition to save kenzo tange's kagawa prefectural gym in japan strides amid demolition plans

Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium’s demolition news

News surrounding the demolition of the concrete and modernist Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange (1913 – 2005) in Japan has spurred a growing petition to save the beloved landmark, the home to local sports events in Takamatsu for 50 years.

Because of the construction of a new sports facility nearby, the dubbed replacement to Tange’s gym, the prefectural government of Kagawa is attempting to find an interested buyer for the restoration and reuse of the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium. Without a buyer, the Kenzo Tange’s gymnasium will likely be demolished.

Local activists and international supporters who believe that the building is an architectural heritage worthy of being preserved and handed down to future citizens of Kagawa prefecture continue to advocate to preserve the gymnasium, launching a petition for signatures to preserve the gymnasium. As of publishing the story, around 4,000 supporters have signed the petition.

images courtesy of World Monuments Fund | header and photo by Noriyuki Kawanishi

Shut down in 2014 due to lack of maintenance

The Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium by Kenzo Tange was closed on September 30th, 2014 due to the need for seismic retrofitting and a leak in the building’s roof caused by the rusting of the suspension cables, which need to be replaced for the building to remain in use.

No prospective bidders stepped forward to salvage the historical landmark, and the team behind the World Monument Funds fears that the situation might increase the likelihood of knocking down the building. In June 2018, Kenzo Tange’s Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium was included in one of the eight sites across the world to be funded by American Express for its preservation.

Due to this support, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) launched a project in 2019 to build capacity and foster community initiation against the site’s demolition. But without a solid buyer who will restore and constantly maintain the structure, the plans to bulldoze the architecture is still on the table.

west view of the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, 2017 | photo by Yuichi Hirano

Kenzo Tange reinforced concrete for his vessel building

In the 1950s, Masanori Kaneko, the then governor of Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture, tapped Kenzo Tange to design two new buildings in the prefectural capital Takamatsu. At the time, Tange was Japan’s leading architect, working on the design of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

For the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, the architect used modern materials to evoke the form of a traditional Japanese wooden barge, as well as the strong and supple body of an athlete. The tilted-ship shape of the architecture, the roots of its moniker ‘boat gym’, consists of a deep concrete ring carried on four massive supports, with a roof of thin concrete slabs supported by suspension cables.

Inside, the sports hall lies above the entry level, which contains other facilities, including dressing rooms and offices. The gymnasium, which was built in the 1960s, was Tange’s way to explore how he could produce a large space with reinforced concrete.

The eaves soar upwards above the welcoming glass façade of the gymnasium entrance while its symmetric curved ceiling awakens excitement during competitions and ceremonies. The World Monuments Fund believes that the destruction of the invaluable gymnasium will be ‘an irretrievable loss.’

view of the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium from the northwest, 2016