# Kobe Mosque > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kobe_Mosque > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kobe_Mosque.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Mosque > Source revision: 1350742769 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Mosque in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox religious building | name = Kobe Mosque | native_name = 神戸モスク | native_name_lang = ja | image = Kobe mosque01 2816.jpg | image_upright = 1.4 | alt = | caption = | map_type = Japan Hyogo Prefecture | map_size = 250px | map_alt = | map_relief = yes | map_caption = | mapframe = yes | coordinates = {{Coord|34|41|46|N|135|11|16|E|type:landmark_region:JP|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = | religious_affiliation = [Islam](/source/Islam) | locale = | location = 2-25-14 Nakayamate Dori, Chuo-ku, [Kōbe](/source/K%C5%8Dbe)-shi, [Hyōgo Prefecture](/source/Hy%C5%8Dgo_Prefecture) | deity = | rite = | sect = | tradition = | festival = | cercle = | sector = | municipality = | district = | territory = | prefecture = | state = | province = | region = | country = | administration = | consecration_year = | organisational_status = [Mosque](/source/Mosque) | functional_status = Active | heritage_designation = | ownership = | governing_body = | leadership = | bhattaraka = | patron = | religious_features_label = | religious_features = | architect = [Jan Josef Švagr](/source/Jan_Josef_%C5%A0vagr) | architecture_type = | architecture_style = [Indo-Islamic](/source/Indo-Islamic_architecture) | founded_by = | creator = | funded_by = | general_contractor = | established = | groundbreaking = | year_completed = 1935 | construction_cost = | date_demolished = | facade_direction = | capacity = | length = | width = | width_nave = | interior_area = | height_max = | dome_quantity = | dome_height_outer = | dome_height_inner = | dome_dia_outer = | dome_dia_inner = | minaret_quantity = 2 | minaret_height = | spire_quantity = | spire_height = | site_area = | temple_quantity = | monument_quantity = | shrine_quantity = | inscriptions = | materials = | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | nrhp = | designated = | added = | refnum = | footnotes = | website = https://www.kobemosque.com/ }} The '''Kōbe Mosque''' ({{langx|ja|神戸モスク|Kōbe Mosuku}}), also known as the '''Kōbe Muslim Mosque''' ({{langx|ja|神戸ムスリムモスク|Kōbe Musurimu Mosuku}}, is a [mosque](/source/mosque) located in [Kōbe](/source/Kobe), in the [Hyōgo Prefecture](/source/Hy%C5%8Dgo_Prefecture) of [Japan](/source/Japan). Founded in October 1935, it is Japan's first mosque.{{cite journal |author=Penn, M |title=Islam in Japan |url=http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/168/ |journal=Harvard Asia Quarterly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202212653/http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/168/ |archive-date=2007-02-02 |volume=10 |number=1 |edition=Winter |date=2006 |access-date=February 26, 2007 }}{{Cite journal |last=Ajar |first=Seno Budhi |date=2023-10-13 |title=The Impact of Historic Mosque Tourism Development on the Conservation of Historical Mosque Buildings in Japan and Indonesia |url=https://migrationletters.com/index.php/ml/article/view/4612 |journal=Migration Letters |language=en |volume=20 |issue=7 |pages=952–968 |doi=10.59670/ml.v20i7.4612 |doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 |issn=1741-8992}} Its construction was funded by donations collected by the Islamic Committee of Kōbe from 1928.{{efn|[Aga Khan III](/source/Aga_Khan_III) was a major contributor. He facilitated a meeting between the then [East Pakistan](/source/East_Pakistan) Prime Minister and the [Emperor of Japan](/source/Emperor_of_Japan) to discuss the building of a mosque in Japan. The Emperor offered land for the mosque's construction.{{cite web |url=http://www.kobemosque.org/History%20English.htm |title=History |work=Kobe Mosque Official Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120120052/http://www.kobemosque.org/History%20English.htm |archive-date=2007-01-20 |access-date=February 26, 2007 }}{{self-published-inline|date=July 2025}}}} The mosque was confiscated by the [Imperial Japanese Navy](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Navy) in 1943, survived air raids in 1945, and withstood the [Great Hanshin earthquake](/source/Great_Hanshin_earthquake) of 1995.{{Cite journal |last1=Gunardi |first1=Yudhi |last2=Barliana |first2=M. Syaom |date=2021-06-29 |title=Disaster Response Mosque: A Mosque as a Center for the Rescue of the Ummah |url=https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/JoDiE/article/view/35853 |journal=Journal of Development and Integrated Engineering |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=43–54 |doi=10.17509/jodie.v1i1.35853 |issn=2798-2165 |doi-access=free}} It is located in the [Kitano-cho](/source/Kitano-cho) foreign district of Kobe, one of the city's best-known tourist areas which features many old western style buildings.{{Cite web |date=2016-11-16 |title=Japan’s first mosque in Kobe |url=https://en.abna24.com/news/792371/Japan-s-first-mosque-in-Kobe |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=ABNA English |language=en}} The mosque was built in traditional [Indo-Islamic](/source/Indo-Islamic_architecture) style by the Czech architect [Jan Josef Švagr](/source/Jan_Josef_%C5%A0vagr) (1885–1969), the architect of a number of Western religious buildings throughout Japan. {{As of|2024}}, it was one of 113 mosques in Japan.{{Cite web |title=Japan home to a growing Muslim presence as it embraces change |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14903765 |date= |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}} ==History== The Kobe Mosque's construction, initiated by the Islamic Committee of Kobe in 1928, overcame financial and logistical hurdles. However, it was confiscated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1943 during [World War II](/source/World_War_II) but survived the 1945 air raids largely unscathed.{{Cite news |date=2024-03-29 |title=Retro Japan: Mosque in Kobe serves as spiritual center, symbol of multicultural coexistence |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240329/p2a/00m/0et/021000c |access-date=2024-03-31 |work=Mainichi Daily News |language=en}} The mosque was damaged during the [Great Hanshin earthquake](/source/Great_Hanshin_earthquake) of 1995 but did not completely collapse.{{Cite journal |last1=Kotani |first1=Hitomu |last2=Okai |first2=Hirofumi |last3=Tamura |first3=Mari |date=2023-12-01 |title=Activities and roles of mosques in Japan after the recent major earthquakes: A comprehensive study |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061723000248 |journal=Progress in Disaster Science |volume=20 |article-number=100297 |doi=10.1016/j.pdisas.2023.100297 |bibcode=2023PrDS...2000297K |issn=2590-0617|hdl=2433/285721 |hdl-access=free }} Due to its endurance, it has also been called the "Miracle Mosque."{{Cite web |last=Alfarra |first=Jehan Alfarra |date=November 28, 2020 |title=Discover Kobe Mosque, Japan |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201128-discover-kobe-mosque-japan/}} ==Architecture== Constructed in 1935 by the Takenaka Corporation,{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Islam in Japan: First Muslims and first mosque |url=https://www.amust.com.au/2023/04/islam-in-japan-first-muslims-and-first-mosque/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=AMUST |language=en-AU}} the mosque has a reinforced concrete structure. Its architectural style is a fusion of traditional Asian-Turkish influences and was designed by architect Jan Josef Švagr.{{Cite book |last1=Acri |first1=Andrea |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DIDRDwAAQBAJ&dq=the+Kobe+Mosque+japan+Jan+Josef+%C5%A0vagr%2C&pg=PA334 |title=Imagining Asia(s): Networks, Actors, Sites |last2=Ghani |first2=Kashshaf |last3=Jha |first3=Murari K. |last4=Mukherjee |first4=Sraman |date=2019-10-23 |publisher=ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute |isbn=978-981-4818-86-5 |language=en}} Located at 2 Nakayamate Douri, Chuo-Ku, the mosque spans three levels above ground and one underground level.{{Cite web |title=Kobe Mosque welcomes Ramadan: Embracing diversity in the month of reflection |url=https://www.arabnews.jp/en/features/article_117529/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Arab News Japan |language=en}} Its roofing comprises a combination of flat roofs and domes with wooden structures and copper roofing. The walls are finished with exposed-aggregate.{{Cite web |title=Al Fozan |url=https://mosqpedia.org/en/mosque/802 |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=mosqpedia.org |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331234843/https://mosqpedia.org/en/mosque/802 |url-status=dead }} == Gallery == File:Kobe Mosque in 1936.jpg|An aerial view of the mosque in 1936, showcasing its early architectural grandeur and historical significance File:Kobe Kobe-Moschee Innen Gebetsraum 1.jpg|The prayer hall File:Svagr in Japan Unknown Date.jpg|Architect ([Jan Josef Švagr](/source/Jan_Josef_%C5%A0vagr); 7 September 1885 – 26 March 1969) of Kobe Mosque in Japan ==See also== {{stack|{{portal|Islam|Japan}}}} *[Islam in Japan](/source/Islam_in_Japan) *[List of mosques in Japan](/source/List_of_mosques_in_Japan) == Notes == {{noteslist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Official website|http://kobe-muslim-mosque.com/}} {{Mosques in Japan}} {{Authority control}} Category:1935 establishments in Japan Category:20th-century mosques in Japan Category:Buildings and structures in Kobe Category:mosque buildings with minarets in Japan Category:Mosques completed in 1935 Category:Mosques in Japan Category:Religious buildings and structures in Hyōgo Prefecture Category:Tourist attractions in Kobe --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kobe Mosque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Mosque) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Mosque?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.