Kahogekijō (wooden theatre from 1931)

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by STA3816 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The only survivor of the 48 theatres on the Onga River: it reopens on 24 October 2026 after 5 years.

The two-storey wooden theatre, built in 1931 in the style of kabuki (the traditional Japanese theatre), is the only survivor of the 48 theatres that stood in the Onga River basin during the coal-mining boom. Donated to the city of Iizuka in 2021 by the private owners, it is now closed for a five-year restoration.

The theatre stands in Iizuka, in the coalfield of the Onga River basin, one of the main mining areas of Japan between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It has been recognised as a 登録有形文化財 (Registered Tangible Cultural Property) since 2006, and in 2007 it was included in the Heritage of Modern Industrialisation of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

ℹ️ The theatre has been closed for restoration since 2021 and reopens on 24 October 2026: before that date it cannot be visited.

🚉 Shin-Iizuka · 18 min walk

Sources: city.iizuka.lg.jp

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