What Is the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building?
The Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building (吉村家住宅便所・風呂棟, Yoshimura-ke Jūtaku Benjo Furo-tō) is a single-storey wooden outbuilding of around 1925 at the Yoshimura family's home in Tani 2-chome, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 February 2021. It houses a toilet and a bath under one roof and stands apart from the main house, toward the south of the grounds.
The building covers 12 square meters (11.80 in Fukuoka City's survey) and runs east to west under a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. It is thought to have gone up in the same year as the main house. The well house stands just to its south.
Plan and Stoking Door
The Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building is split down the middle. The eastern half is the toilet, and the western half holds a changing room and the bath. On the west wall is the stoking opening where the bathwater was heated from outside, sheltered by a small lean-to roof (Geya) that kept the fire tender dry.
Placing the water rooms in a separate building near the kitchen wing, beside the well, gathered the household's wet work on the south side of the plot. It also kept fire and damp away from the main house.
The Openwork Door Panels
The detail to look for on the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building is on the toilet's hinged door. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its board panels are pierced with openwork motifs of an old pine and a row of arrows. It is a small extravagance on a building meant purely for daily chores, and the kind of detail that rewards a close look at the photographs.
The agency singles out this small building for its stylish design and counts it as one of the structures that shape the corner of the grounds. It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building
The Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building stands deep within a private home and is not open to the public (checked October 2026). The grounds cannot be entered, and there is no announced opportunity to see the pierced door up close, nor any official guidance on photography. The photographs in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database are the practical way to study the design.
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Q&A
- What is the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building?
- A single-storey wooden outbuilding of around 1925 with a hip-and-gable tiled roof. The eastern half is a toilet and the western half a changing room and bath.
- What is special about the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building?
- The panels of the toilet door are pierced with openwork designs of an old pine and a row of arrows, unusual care for so small a building.
- How was the bath in the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building heated?
- A fire was stoked through an opening on the west wall, which is covered by a small lean-to roof.
- When was the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building registered?
- On 4 February 2021, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property under number 40-0179.
- Can I visit the Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building?
- No. It is on private residential grounds, and no visits were announced as of October 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building (吉村家住宅便所・風呂棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 280 Tani 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 12㎡ (wooden, single-storey) |
| Owner | Private (the Yoshimura family) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013663
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yoshimura Family Residence Toilet and Bath Building
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/594619
- Fukuoka City press release on the Yoshimura Family Residence (PDF, Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/files/NewsBlocks/35bcfb5f-668e-48e1-ba31-a45852e4a23b/value01/NewsParagraph733fileja.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.30
