What the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse Is
The Mori Family Residence Bathhouse (森家住宅湯殿, Morike Jūtaku Yudono) is a bathing block of about 1841 in the Himi district of Saijō City, Ehime Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Buildings) on 7 August 2023. It stands on the compound of the Mori family, landowners who traded as Sumiyoshiya, linked by a covered passage to the raised parlor of the main house.
At 24 square metres it is the smallest of the five registered Mori structures, and the only one raised on a stone retaining wall above the level of the rest of the compound. Its size is no guide to its importance, because this small building is where the household's claim to rank becomes concrete.
Plumbing Fit for a Daimyo
The Mori family held the rank of village headman under the Saijō domain and controlled rights to 2,000 koku at their height. Records survive of visits by the lord of Saijō and by the lords of Komatsu and Matsuyama, and a gate at the north of the compound was built for the lord's exclusive use.
A family document of 1864 sets out in detail which rooms were used, and how, when the lord of Saijō came. The Ehime prefectural assessment singled out the survival of the buildings that match those instructions as the thing that raises the value of the property. The Mori Family Residence Bathhouse belongs to that sequence of rooms, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the formality of the lord's gate corresponds to the standard set around the bathhouse.
The building is timber, single-storeyed, with a hipped-and-gabled Irimoya-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. A corridor runs through the middle. On the highway side is the privy, fitted with a wooden closet; on the garden side is the bath, with a wooden tub and a projecting latticed window. A guest could reach it from the raised parlor along the covered passage without crossing the family's part of the house. Registration came under the criterion for buildings that contribute to Japan's historic landscape.
What to Look For
Begin outside, with the stonework. Although it is a single-storey building, the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse sits a step above the surrounding ground on a stone base. That solves the drainage and lifts the building's standing at the same time.
On the garden side, look at the latticed window. A grille in a bathing room blocks the view in, lets steam out, and keeps the greenery visible from inside. It is worth standing there and picturing the sight line from the height of someone in the tub.
Indoors, the wooden tub and the wooden closet are both still in place. Bathrooms and privies wear out fastest and are the first thing a lived-in house rebuilds, which is why the Agency for Cultural Affairs remarks that this building keeps its original character inside and out.
The covered passage where the building meets the main house is worth a look too. It makes plain that the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse was never a shed at the back of the garden but a fitting stitched into the choreography of receiving an important guest.
Visiting
The Mori Family Residence Bathhouse is maintained by the Himi Old House Research Association, which opens the compound to the public as Sumiyoshiya. Open days are the second Saturday of each month, and the first Saturday in August and October, from 10 a.m. to noon. The site is closed otherwise; group visits or other dates need arranging with the foundation in advance.
No admission charge and no photography policy are published on the foundation's website, and neither could be confirmed while this article was prepared. How much of the interior can be entered may vary on the day, so ask the volunteers on duty.
The address is 658 Himi-hei (Kamimachi), Saijō City. Iyo-Himi Station on the JR Yosan Line is about 10 minutes away on foot, as is the Setouchi Bus stop named Himi. By car it is about 11 minutes from the Iyo-Komatsu interchange of the Matsuyama Expressway along National Route 11, or about 24 minutes from the Iyo-Saijō interchange, and there is parking on site.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ehime
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Mori Family Residence Bathhouse
- [ Dogo Onsen & Matsuyama Castle Relaxation Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse built?
- Around 1841, the same period as the main house. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Buildings) on 7 August 2023.
- What is inside the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse?
- A corridor runs through the middle, with a privy and its wooden closet on the highway side and the bath, with a wooden tub and a latticed window, on the garden side. The floor area is 24 square metres.
- Why does the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse stand on a stone base?
- The stone retaining wall raises it a step above the surrounding ground, which helps with drainage and also marks the building as one of higher standing. A covered passage links it to the raised parlor of the main house.
- Did a domain lord use the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse?
- The family kept records of visits by the lord of Saijō, and a document of 1864 describes the use of the rooms during one such visit. The Agency for Cultural Affairs links the formality of the lord's gate to the standard set around the bathhouse.
- Can the Mori Family Residence Bathhouse be visited?
- Yes, on the second Saturday of each month and the first Saturday in August and October, from 10 a.m. to noon. It is closed on all other days.
Basic Information
| Name | Mori Family Residence Bathhouse (森家住宅湯殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 658-2 Himi-aza Kamimachi Hei, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Buildings), register no. 38-0176 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 7 August 2023 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, floor area 24 square metres |
| Owner | Himi Old House Research Association (general incorporated foundation) |
| Public Access | Open the 2nd Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to noon |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Morike Jutaku Yudono
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014691
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Morike Jutaku Onarimon oyobi Hei
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014692
- Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties Division: report on nine buildings recommended for registration
- https://www.pref.ehime.jp/page/3948.html
- Saijo City Board of Education: notice of the registration of the Mori Family Residence and four related structures
- https://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp/soshiki/syakaikyoiku/morikebunkazaitouroku.html
- Himi Old House Research Association: Access
- https://iyo-himikominka.or.jp/accsess/
Last verified: 2026.09.05