Kokinso

Kokon-so: A Late Meiji Villa Preserved in the Paper City of Shikokuchuo

Tucked away in the foothills of eastern Ehime Prefecture, in the city famously known as the "paper capital" of Japan, stands a quietly elegant wooden residence called Kokon-so (古今荘). Originally built around the end of the Meiji era as the secondary villa of an established family in the old Kawanoe Village, this graceful building was carefully relocated to its current site in Kamibun-cho during the late 1950s to early 1960s. Today it survives as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property, offering a rare glimpse into the refined residential architecture that once flourished in the prosperous towns along the Setouchi coast.

While the building is privately owned and generally not open to the public, its presence enriches the cultural landscape of Shikokuchuo City. For visitors interested in Japan's modern architectural heritage and the layered history of regional craftsmanship, Kokon-so represents one of the lesser-known treasures that quietly anchor the identity of this papermaking town.

Historical Background

Kawanoe Village, the original setting of this house, occupies a strategic position at the eastern edge of Ehime Prefecture, near the border with Kagawa and just across the Iyo-Sanuki mountains from Tokushima. Long before the modern era, the area thrived as a node on the highway connecting Tosa and Awa provinces, and by the Meiji period it had grown into a bustling town shaped by paper manufacturing, commerce, and timber trade.

Kokon-so was constructed in this prosperous environment around the closing years of Meiji (the very early twentieth century) as a betsutei, or secondary residence, of an old local family. Such villas were typical of well-established merchant and landowning households of the time, who built them as places to entertain guests, host gatherings, and retreat from the busier main residence. The building's refined detailing reflects the affluent regional culture of late Meiji Ehime.

Following the Showa-era municipal mergers that created Kawanoe City in 1954, and as the surrounding landscape changed with the rise of the paper industry, the building was carefully dismantled and relocated to its present site in Kamibun-cho during the late 1950s to mid-1960s. Through subsequent decades it has been maintained by its current owners, surviving the further consolidation of municipalities into Shikokuchuo City in 2004.

Why Kokon-so Was Designated a Cultural Property

Kokon-so was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on November 10, 2005, under Japan's cultural property registration system. This system, established in 1996, was designed to protect a wider net of historically and culturally valuable buildings—particularly those from the modern era—that might otherwise be lost to redevelopment or neglect.

The building's value lies in several distinctive features. Its formal rooms—omote-za (front room), naka-za (middle room), and oku-za (inner room)—are arranged in a continuous line at intervals of approximately 4.5 meters, a generous spacing that creates an unusually spacious and airy plan. Above the corridor running alongside these rooms, the ceiling is decorated with an ornamental lattice in the budo-dana (grape trellis) pattern, an elegant design motif drawn from traditional sukiya-style architecture. Such craftsmanship is characteristic of high-quality late Meiji and early Taisho residential building, and Kokon-so preserves these features in remarkably good condition.

Together, these elements speak to the refined aesthetic sensibilities and skilled carpentry of the region during a transitional period when Japanese architecture was negotiating between deep tradition and emerging modern influences.

Architectural Highlights

Although Kokon-so is a relatively modest building compared to the grand mansions of Japan's major cities, its quiet sophistication rewards careful observation. The three principal rooms are aligned in a single row, an arrangement that allows the sliding screens (fusuma) and shoji to be opened to create one continuous space for ceremonial occasions, while still functioning as intimate individual rooms in everyday use.

The most celebrated detail is the budo-dana ceiling treatment above the gallery corridor. This decorative lattice, named for its visual resemblance to the trellises used to train grapevines, creates a textured, light-catching surface that softens the long lines of the corridor and adds a subtle rhythm to the architectural experience. Such ceiling craftsmanship was typically reserved for the highest-grade reception spaces in fine residences and teahouses.

Other elements worth noting include the careful proportions of the post-and-beam structure, the use of high-quality timber visible in the exposed framing, and the way the building's plan opens toward the garden—a hallmark of Japanese residential design that draws nature into the daily life of the household.

Visitor Information

Kokon-so is privately owned and is not regularly open to the public. Travelers interested in viewing the building should not expect interior access and should respect the privacy of the property and its neighbors. The exterior may be glimpsed from public roads in the Kamibun-cho area of Shikokuchuo City.

For those who wish to learn more about the building or about cultural properties in the area, the Cultural and Sports Promotion Division of the Shikokuchuo City Board of Education is the most reliable point of contact. Inquiries about possible viewing opportunities, special open-house events, or related research should be directed to this office, which manages information on all designated and registered cultural properties within the city.

Kamibun-cho is reached most easily by car from the Mishima-Kawanoe Interchange of the Matsuyama Expressway, or by local bus from JR Kawanoe Station. Visitors are encouraged to combine a visit to the area with stops at other nearby cultural sites, where access policies are clearly established for tourists.

Surrounding Attractions

Shikokuchuo City and the surrounding region offer a rich variety of cultural and natural experiences for travelers exploring eastern Ehime. Just a short drive from Kamibun-cho, the Manabe Family Residence (Manabe-ke Jutaku) in the mountain hamlet of Kiriyama is a National Important Cultural Property—one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in Ehime, dating from the mid-seventeenth century. Its thatched roof and earthen-walled construction provide a striking contrast to the refined late-Meiji aesthetic of Kokon-so.

The Uma Mukaiyama Kofun, a designated National Historic Site, preserves one of Shikoku's largest stone-chambered tumuli from the late Kofun period, while the Shimokashiwa-no-Ogashiwa, a giant evergreen oak tree, stands as a National Natural Monument. For those interested in religious architecture, the area is dotted with shrines and temples, including stops on the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage route. Travelers can also explore the city's identity as Japan's foremost paper manufacturing center, with museums and workshops dedicated to traditional washi paper craft.