Sōgakudō Concert Hall (奏楽堂) is the oldest Western-style concert hall in Japan. It is located in Taitō Ward, Tōkyō, and was constructed in 1890 as an auditorium for the Tokyo Music School, the predecessor of the Tokyo University of the Arts (東京藝術大学 Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku) or Geidai (芸大). Originally, the name "Sōgakudō" referred only to the concert hall on the second floor; nowadays, it is used for the whole historical building.

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In the early 1970s, the wooden structure was quite dilapidated and the concert hall was slated to be moved to the Meiji-Mura Museum in Aichi. After public campaigns to preserve the building as a concert hall, Taitō Ward acquired the property and moved the hall to its current location in Ueno Park. Sōgakudō opened to the public in 1987 and was designated it an Important Cultural Property a year later. From 2014 to 2018 the building was again closed for renovation.

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The main auditorium has 338 seats, a vaulted ceiling and special sound insulation made of straw and sawdust.

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The impressive organ was constructed in 1920 by Abbot and Smith and has 1,379 pneumatic pipes. It is the oldest concert organ in Japan and was donated by Tokugawa Yorisada (徳川頼貞, 1892-1954) in 1928.

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Address:


8-43 Uenokoen, Taitō Ward, Tōkyō 110-0007; phone: 03-3824-1988.

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