Thirty-Four Square Metres of Daily Life
The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets is an ancillary building in Tamanoi, Kisogawa-cho, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, built around 1955 and entered on the national list of Registered Tangible Cultural Property (buildings) on 17 August 2020. It is a single-storey timber structure with a gabled roof of clay pantiles and a floor area of 34 square metres, standing south-east of the mill and east of the men's dormitory.
A passage divides the plan. The bathing rooms occupy the western half, themselves split so that men washed on the east side and women on the west. Lavatories line up north to south in the eastern half. Walls are plastered above a rendered base, a sensible choice where water and steam collect.
An extension followed between 1955 and 1964, when the original three lavatory cubicles gained two more. The changing size of the building tracks the changing number of people living on the site.
Why Washrooms Matter Here
The registration criterion was contribution to the historic landscape, and this bathhouse was listed on the same day as the mill and the office. The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets carries registration number 23-0554.
Bathrooms and lavatories wear out quickly and are usually the first things a business rebuilds. They are modernised beyond recognition or removed once no longer needed. Finding one still standing alongside the factory and the houses it served is uncommon.
Separate bathing rooms for men and women tell you that women were among those living on the premises, which matches the account that the north wing of the main house began as a women's dormitory. Read that way, the building is a document about the workforce rather than an item of plant.
Traces of Present Use
Bathing stopped here long ago. The Ichinomiya Tourism Association reports that the former men's bathroom now serves as a store and the women's side holds yarn. Cones of wool sit where tiled floors still slope towards their drains, which is why the registered name begins with the word former.
From outside, the building reads in three bands: a small gabled roof, white plastered wall, rendered base. Set beside the sawtooth mill and the hipped roof of the main house, it is stripped to pure utility.
The lavatories in the eastern range sometimes show differences in joinery and finish between the original cubicles and the later pair. Following the seams in the wall and the variation in tile colour lets you work out where about 1955 ends and the extension begins.
Visiting
The Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets sits deep inside a working factory yard and is not open on a walk-in basis. The official Aichi Prefecture tourism site notes that the company sometimes accepts visitors by prior arrangement. Telephone 0586-87-3323 at least two weeks ahead. Two or three visitors up to about ten are accepted, larger parties need discussion, and Saturdays and Sundays are non-working days. Checked on 31 August 2026.
No published photography policy could be found. The rooms are now used for storage, so raise the question when booking.
Tamanoi Station on the Meitetsu Bisai Line is about a two-minute walk. By car, allow about 15 minutes from the Ichinomiya-nishi exit of the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway or about 25 minutes from the Ichinomiya interchange of the Meishin Expressway. The building lies towards the south-east of the plot and cannot be seen from the road.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets?
- Not without arrangement, as it stands deep inside a working yard. Telephone 0586-87-3323 at least two weeks ahead and the company may agree to a visit. Weekends are non-working days.
- What kind of building is the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets?
- A single-storey timber building of about 1955 with a gabled tiled roof and a floor area of 34 square metres. Bathing rooms fill the western half and lavatories the eastern half.
- How is the Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets used today?
- No longer for bathing. The former men's bathroom is a store and the women's side holds yarn, which is why the registered name begins with the word former.
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- On 17 August 2020, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 23-0554.
- How do I get to the site?
- Tamanoi Station on the Meitetsu Bisai Line is about two minutes away on foot, and the site is roughly 15 minutes by car from the Ichinomiya-nishi expressway exit.
Basic Information
| Name | Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Miyamae, Tamanoi, Kisogawa-cho, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2020 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, tiled roof, floor area 34 square metres |
| Owner | Not disclosed (privately owned) |
| Public Access | Normally closed; visits by prior arrangement |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kuzuri Woolen Industry Former Bathhouse and Toilets
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013407
- Ichinomiya City: Cultural Properties in Ichinomiya
- https://www.city.ichinomiya.aichi.jp/katsuryokusouzou/hakubutsukan/1044092/1024202/1036232.html
- Aichi Now, official Aichi Prefecture tourism site: Kuzuri Woolen Industry Co., Ltd.
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/3024/
- Ichinomiya Tourism Association: Sawtooth Roofs of the Bishu Weaving District, vol. 1
- https://www.138ss.com/feature/detail/11/
Last verified: 2026.08.31