Former Ina Airfield of the Imperial Japanese Army (3)
The other day, the Ina City Board of Education held a briefing session on the ruins of the former Imperial Japanese Army Ina Airfield.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, so I am writing this article based on newspaper and news reports.
The photos used in this article were taken by me in July of this year.
The ruins of the hangar as seen from the east side.
It was a holiday, so no work was being done, and the hangar was covered with blue tarp.
Looking at images in the news and newspaper articles, it seems that this was where the hangar door used to be.
According to reports, four grooves and metal fittings remain visible where the tarp was removed in the center of the photo above.
It is estimated that four suspended doors were stored here.
At the exhibition “The Imperial Japanese Army Ina Airfield and Its Era (2)” currently being held at the Ina City Creation Hall, there are photographs showing part of the hangar and a model of the hangar, so I created the following picture using those as references.
I drew it based on my speculation of what it might have looked like. The concrete portion on the left is the part that remains today.
The ground here was originally a gentle slope with the west side being lower, but it seems that earth was piled up there to build a hanger.
Looking at the hole dug for excavation, it appears that the foundation was dug down, filled with stones, and then concrete was poured over it. The stones were probably filled to a depth of about 1 meter.
According to the excavation, the foundation pillars were driven about 2 meters into the ground.
I really wanted to see the grooves and metal fittings under the seat with my own eyes.
Excavation surveys are being conducted because there is a plan to build a prefectural road through this location, and the relocation of the ruins is also being considered.
If relocation were to occur, the concrete would likely need to be cut into several pieces for transport, but judging from the photo, lifting the foundation could cause it to collapse.
Ina City is reportedly considering preservation methods, including relocation, so at this point, relocation has not been finalized. (The decision to preserve it was made at the Ina City Council meeting in 2015.)
I hope it can be preserved in a good condition.
I didn’t know about the briefing session and only found out about it from the news. When I checked later, I realized that Ina City had issued two press releases (on August 6 and 13), but I didn’t notice them at all.
I would have attended if I had known, so it’s a pity.
[Reference] (written in Japanese)
"Remains of the former army airfield..“ (NHK Nagano News/ 2025-08/20)
"The former Army Ina Airfield in Ina City“ (TV.Shinshu Broadcasting News / 2025-08-20)
"Trace of the receptacle for sliding doors of the airfield hangars“ (Shinano Mainichi Simbun / 2025-08-21)
“80 Years After the War: Kamikaze Pilots, Young Airmen Also Started Here…” (Nagano Broadcasting / 2025-08-22)
[Related articles]
"Special Exhibition at Ina City Sozokan“ (2025-07029)
"Former Ina Airfield of the Imperial Japanese Army (2)“ (2025-07-30)