It was truly a beautiful piece of architecture.
The Catholic Yonabaru Church, also known as St Clare Church, was completed in 1958. It was designed by Ken Kataoka with design support from Skidmore Owings and Merrill. It is the only building in Okinawa selected for the DOCOMOMO Japan list of 100 modernist buildings in Japan.
When I asked a sister for permission to visit, she kindly welcomed me, saying I was free to look around.
Walking through the quiet cloister that surrounds the courtyard, I entered the church and was moved by the stained glass, the view beyond it, and the way the light came through.
While deeply rooted in the local climate and culture of Okinawa, the church also embodies a form of modernism that must have felt progressive at the time. It is truly one of a kind.
I hope these snapshots taken with my GRIII convey some of the beauty of its light. ■
All photos in this article were taken with a RICOH GR III and edited in Lightroom.
All images are protected by copyright. Please contact me for usage requests.
Location: Yonabaru, Okinawa
This map shows the approximate area where the photos were taken.
