Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Fukuoka

Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy

A tiny 1921 sukiya-style privy with log posts and a round window

The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy in Chikujo, Fukuoka, is a tiny 1921 outhouse by the entrance, the smallest of the 12, with log posts and a round window.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Fukuoka

The smallest of the twelve

The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy (旧蔵内家住宅便所, Kyū-Kurauchi-ke Jūtaku Benjo) in Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a tiny outhouse of around 1921 beside the south entrance of the Kurauchi family estate, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.

At 5.7 square metres it is the smallest of the 12 registered buildings. It has a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki tiles and stands on a tall concrete base made to look like stone.

It is thought to date from the same time as the Middle Gate, which an old photograph places in 1921, the year the house is said to have been completed.

Why it was registered

The Privy was registered as number 40-0030 as a model of design. For all its modest size, the national record praises its thoroughly Sukiya-zukuri treatment: posts of natural logs, log beams and log Taruki rafters, and a round window set in a wall finished in ink-dark plaster.

Placing a carefully designed little building right by the entrance, where guests would see it first, says a lot about the care taken over the whole estate. The stone-effect concrete base is also an interesting instance of a newly popular Taisho material dressed up in a traditional look.

Seen alongside the Middle Gate, it shares the same vocabulary of round posts and log rafters, showing that the entrances to the property were designed as a set.

What to look for

Once through the entrance, turn and look for the small building to one side. The round window in the dark wall is the first thing you notice.

The base is high and looks like stonework, but it is concrete. Natural log posts rise from it, and overhead you can see closely spaced log rafters. The choice of materials is surprisingly deliberate for something this size.

The hipped tile roof slopes on all four sides, compact from every angle, a nice contrast with the complex copper roofs of the Grand Entrance Wing nearby.

Visiting the Privy

The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy is preserved as a cultural property and cannot be used. As Chikujo Town notes, an accessible public toilet for visitors is provided at the building entrance.

You can see the Privy beside the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei entrance. Check photography rules at the desk. Hours, fees and directions are on the Former Kurauchi Family Residence page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy; [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy built?: AIt is thought to be contemporary with the Middle Gate, which dates from 1921.

QWhere is the Kurauchi Privy?: ABeside the entrance on the south side of the estate.

QWhat is special about the Kurauchi Privy?: AIts sukiya-style design: natural log posts, log rafters, a round window in a dark plaster wall and a stone-effect concrete base.

QCan visitors use the Kurauchi Privy?: ANo. It is a protected building. An accessible public toilet is provided at the entrance.

QIs the Kurauchi Privy really a cultural property?: AYes. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) on February 14, 2002.

Basic Information

Name	Former Kurauchi Family Residence Privy
Location	396 Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Chikujo-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building)
Year Designated	Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 5.7 square metres
Owner	Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (opened to the public by Chikujo Town as Kyu-Kurauchi-tei)
Public Access	Exterior visible beside the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei entrance; not in use as a toilet (closed Wednesdays)