Special Exhibition at Ina City Sozokan
The Ina City Sozokan (located in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture) is a facility that was originally built in 1930 as the Kamiina Library, renovated, and opened in 2010 as a museum and lifelong learning facility.
I visited the facility to see the special exhibition that began on July 26.
The title of the special exhibition is “The Giant War Relic Sleeping in Ina: The Imperial Japanese Army Ina Airfield and Its Era (2).”
The exhibition runs from July 26, 2025 (Saturday) to December 26, 2025 (Friday).
(Closed every Tuesday. Admission is free.)
Since the title includes the number “2,” I assumed that a previous exhibition had been held, and upon checking, I discovered that a special exhibition on the former Army Ina Airfield had been held in the summer of 2024. I had missed last year’s exhibition.
In addition to the content from last year’s exhibition, new materials discovered this year have been added.
For example, the actual propeller of the training biplane “Akatonbo” is on display. This was reportedly discovered this year in the storage of the Folk Museum in Takato Town, Ina City.
The propeller is made of wood, measures 2.58 meters in length, and weighs 13 kilograms.
In addition, an album belonging to Captain Yoneda, who served as the director of the Ina branch of the Kumagaya Army Flying School, was on display.
He was assigned to the Kumagaya Army Flying School as a flight instructor in 1941 and was transferred to Ina as the director of the Ina branch when it opened in 1944. (He served as director for nine months.)
The album included photos of trainees, airplanes, airfields, and hangars.
This panel summarizes the military-related facilities in the area, including plans for the second airfield, the construction of military factories, and the military conversion of school buildings.
What’s great is that the map, airfield layout, and chronology were summarized on a single A3-size sheet of paper that visitors could take home. This is wonderful.
This is a model of the airplane banker. The banker was located on the northeast side of the airfield, surrounded by an embankment and concealed with tree branches.
This year, a survey map of the site was discovered, which was also referenced in the creation of the model.
Reviewing the school’s administrative records from that time reveals that there were plans to repurpose the school building as a military factory.
This is a model of the hangar No.3 at Ina Airfield. (It seems that this was also exhibited last year.)
The hangar was 40 meters square and could store 12 aircraft.
The hangar remained standing for some time after the war, and the people who developed this area after the war collected rainwater from the roof and used it.
The hangar collapsed in February 1952 due to heavy snowfall.
(The Hanger No.1 and No.2 appear to have been dismantled immediately after the war, as they are not visible in aerial photographs taken in September 1947.)
The exhibition space is limited to the special exhibition room and part of the lobby (conversation room), so it is not very spacious, but the content is rich.
The exhibition runs until December, so I encourage you to visit if you have the opportunity.
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"Former Ina Airfield of the Imperial Japanese Army“ (2024-04-06)