Sapporo Shiryokan (Former Sapporo Court of Appeals)

The former Sapporo Court of Appeals, built in 1926, has an exterior wall engraved with a “mirror that reflects the truth.”

When you visit the Shiryokan, look up at the top part of the front of the building and you will see an engraving of the scale of fairness, sword of justice, and a blindfolded Greek goddess of law. The building, which used to be the Sapporo Court of Appeals, is now partly open to the public. The engravings carved into the Ishiyama soft stone wall are holdovers of the building’s past life.
The Shiryokan was one of the venues for the first Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF) held in 2014. Using two rooms as a base for its activities, the facility is currently developing workshops and disseminating information about arts and culture in preparation for the same festival in 2015.
The building also encompasses free-admission exhibition rooms such as the memorial hall dedicated to Sapporo-born manga artist and painter Hiroshi Ooba, and an exhibition room where visitors can learn about the origins of the city of Sapporo.