霊南坂教会, Protestant church in Minato, Japan
Reinanzaka Church is a building nestled into sloped ground with multiple floors stacked vertically. The ground level holds a kindergarten facility, while upper floors contain the chapel and worship space for services.
The congregation was founded in 1879 as Shinsakamachi Church by eleven Kansai Christians led by Okada Matsuo, with Kozaki Hiromichi as first pastor; it merged with Awazu Takaaki's Nihon Church in 1882 to form Tokyo First Christ Church. A church hall was built on Reinanzaka in Akasaka in 1883, and the name Reinanzaka Church was adopted in 1891. The 1917 hall was designed by Tatsuno Kingo; the present building dates from the 1985 move during the Ark Hills development.
The church runs a kindergarten that serves families in the neighborhood, with children regularly using the grounds for learning and play. This educational facility has been woven into the daily life of the district for generations.
The church stands at 1-14-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku, a short walk from Roppongi-itchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line. The present building dates from 1985, when the congregation moved to make way for the Ark Hills development. Visitors arriving by car should note that the surrounding streets serve the Ark Hills complex.
The current building dates from 1985, when the church moved to make way for the Ark Hills development; the earlier 1917 hall had been designed by Tatsuno Kingo. Among the members was Mori Taichiro, who was baptised here in the Taisho era and attended the dedication of the new hall in a wheelchair at the front row.
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