Tetsukawa Yosuke
Church Architect in West Japan
Tetsukawa Yosuke, in his Younger Days
Tetsukawa Yosuke, in his Later Years
Tabira Church in Hirado City/Copyright: Hamamoto Masaharu
Kashiragashima Church (Shinkamigoto-cho)
Tetsukawa Yosuke(1879–1976) was born the eldest son of a family of carpenters on the Goto Islands in Nagasaki prefecture. He worked on the construction of Sone Church in 1899. In 1910, during the construction of the Archbishop’s Hall at Oura Church, he met Father de Rotz (1840–1914) and started to study Western architecture.
During his lifetime he designed over thirty churches in West Japan, despite the fact that he was himself a Buddhist. His characteristic architectural style can be seen in the Tabira Catholic Church and the Kashiragashima Church, both of which are highlights of his work.