Shizutani School

The Auditorium (講堂, kōdō) has been designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the government of Japan as National Treasures in the building/structure category.

Shizutani school goes back to 1666 when Ikeda Mitsumasa, the feudal lord of the Bizen Area, made an inspection tour throughout the country and came across Kidani Village in Wake, which turned out to be provided with better conditions as a site of education than anywhere else.

In that feudal age, there were few cases in which public schools were established by regional lords to educate the promising aristocratic bushi.

Building materials consist of wood from camphor, zelkova, and Japanese cypress trees, which were all selected with care.

By the side of the lecture hall, there is a special room in which Lord Ikeda would rest when he visited the school.