Kyoto & Kansai Region

Catholic Kawaramachi Church embodies Kyoto’s transition into the modern era, both spiritually and architecturally.

In the 1960s, as the Catholic community grew and the city modernized, the original wooden structure faced potential demolition to make way for a larger cathedral. Fortunately, it was rescued by the founders of Meiji Mura, an open-air museum in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, dedicated to preserving architectural gems from the Meiji era.

Today, while the current church continues to serve its community in Kyoto, the original structure preserved at Meiji Mura stands as a tangible, high-value cultural asset illustrating Meiji-period Western influence and heritage conservation practices.