The service wing
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing (旧蔵内家住宅炊事場棟, Kyū-Kurauchi-ke Jūtaku Suijiba-tō) in Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Fukuoka Prefecture, is the 1916 service wing attached to the west side of the Kurauchi family's Main House, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.
Joined to the southern part of the Main House's west face, it gathered everything that kept the household running: cooking area, dining room, kitchen, bath, toilet and well. It covers 178 square metres.
1916 was the year Kurauchi Mining was incorporated and the year the great enlargement began. Of the 12 registered buildings, this is the earliest dated piece of the Taisho work.
Why it was registered
The Kitchen Wing was registered as number 40-0025 as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is neatly built in the Shinkabe manner with posts exposed, yet crowned with an east-west Irimoya-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles and lower hip-and-gable canopies on every side, giving it a busy, animated exterior.
Giving a back-of-house building the same layered roofs as the formal rooms tells you something about the owners: they wanted the whole estate to look of a piece from outside.
Chikujo Town describes the house as built around hospitality, with a luxurious bath and dressing room, and illustrates a marble bath and tiled washroom. The national record lists the bath among this wing's functions.
What to look for
View the exterior of the Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing from the west side of the estate. Small hip-and-gable canopies project from all four sides of the main roof, and the ridgelines stack up in a way you would not expect of a kitchen.
Inside, look at the finishes around the bath. The marble tub and the colorful tiles the town highlights speak both to the Taisho interest in modern sanitation and to the comfort laid on for guests.
From the placement of the kitchen and the well, try tracing how meals were carried to the Main House and the formal rooms. The guest wings step out toward the garden, while the Kitchen Wing stays tucked to the west, keeping front and back clearly apart.
Visiting the Kitchen Wing
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing is on the regular Kyu-Kurauchi-tei route. How far you can go into the bath and kitchen areas, and which spaces you view from the threshold, depends on the route on the day.
Wheelchairs cannot be used inside. Ask about photography at the desk. Hours 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 Kitchen Wing
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing built?
- In 1916, the year Kurauchi Mining was incorporated.
- What was in the Kurauchi Kitchen Wing?
- Cooking area, dining room, kitchen, bath, toilet and well, the household's service functions.
- What should I look for at the Kurauchi Kitchen Wing?
- The roof with hip-and-gable canopies on all sides, and the marble bath and tilework inside.
- Can visitors see inside the Kurauchi Kitchen Wing?
- Yes, it is on the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei route; follow the route on the day for which areas are open.
- What protection does the Kurauchi Kitchen Wing have?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) on February 14, 2002.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing |
|---|---|
| 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 178 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 | Open to the public as part of the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei tour route (closed Wednesdays) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database: Former Kurauchi Family Residence Kitchen Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002706
- Facilities: Kyu-Kurauchi-tei (Chikujo History Walk)
- https://www.chikujo-rekishi.jp/guide/kyukurauchitei/k002.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
