Retro Japan in Photos: Kyoto church designed by Japanese American man interned during WWII – The Mainichi


























































































































































































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A cross mounted atop the baptistry and illuminated by the morning sun casts a shadow on the sanctuary’s roof at Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto’s Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)








A cross mounted atop the baptistry and illuminated by the morning sun casts a shadow on the sanctuary's roof at Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






George Nakashima also designed the wooden pews, pulpit and lighting in the sanctuary at Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, as seen in this photo taken Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






Circular windows with






A stone lantern is seen through a circular window on one side of the sanctuary at Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






The pulpit designed by George Nakashima features interlocking wood with decorative elements at the joints, as seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






The baptismal font designed by George Nakashima is seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






The ceiling of the baptistry is seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






A stained glass window and a lighting fixture are seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






A side wall of the sanctuary, which sustained a significant crack during the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and was subsequently repaired, is seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






A cross and a Nishijin-ori textile tapestry in the background are seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






The confessional is seen in Catholic Katsura Church in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






The






Catholic Katsura Church is seen from the northwest, in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 21, 2025. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)






A model of Catholic Katsura Church as it was originally built is seen in Kyoto's Nishikyo Ward, Nov. 26, 2025. The cross mounted atop the baptistry was initially made of wood. (Mainichi/Takao Kitamura)
























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