Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room): A Self-Contained Guest Room
Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) (恋しき離れ（菊の間）, Koishiki hanare, Kiku-no-ma) is an early Taisho-period garden annex of the former ryotei inn Koishiki in Fuchu-cho, Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004. Kiku means chrysanthemum.
It is a single-storey timber building of 62 square meters with exposed-post Shinkabe walls and a hipped roof of pan tiles, its ridge running east to west. Like the Kikyo Room, it stands at the back of the property facing north onto the inner garden.
The plan is a six-mat reception room and a three-mat anteroom, with a corridor leading off to a lavatory. Because the lavatory is built into the annex itself, guests could spend an entire evening here without going back to the main house. The layout shows that Koishiki's annexes were planned as fully independent private rooms.
Why the Kiku Room Was Registered
Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) was registered on November 8, 2004, under register number 34-0069, as a building that sets a standard for design.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs summary stresses refinement and care. It describes the sukiya-style design as polished and the workmanship as careful, and points to three places as evidence: the alcove, the eaves and the windows. This is not a building that relies on striking shapes. Its quality lies in the choice of materials and the precision of the joinery.
That sets it apart from the Kikyo Room, built in the same period and facing the same way. At the Kiku Room, what you are looking at is the skill of the carpenter and the plasterer rather than the novelty of the forms.
Details to Look for at the Kiku Room
An alcove of prized timber
The Tokonoma, the decorative alcove of the reception room, is built with meiboku, timber chosen for unusual grain, colour or shape. A single piece of such wood used for the alcove post can lift the standing of an entire room, and here it was placed where every guest's eye would fall.
Lath-lined eaves
Outside, look up at the underside of the roof. The eaves of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) are finished in the komai-uchi manner, with thin laths nailed in close rows along the soffit and left exposed. It is a detail you only notice from below, and because a hipped roof has eaves on all four sides, you can see it from any direction.
Arched lattice windows
The third feature is in the narrow wall above the door lintels. Here the builders opened Shitaji-mado, windows that leave the bamboo or reed framework of the clay wall exposed as a lattice, and gave them a gently arched top in the kushigata, or comb-back, shape. In a wall of straight lines, the curve is a small and deliberate softening.
Visiting Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)
The interior of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) is not open to the public and the room is not offered for rent, so the alcove cannot currently be seen on an ordinary visit.
The exterior is freely visible from the garden. The north front faces the garden path, which is the best place to study the eaves and the shape of the arched windows. Two of the three features singled out in the official description can be checked this way.
Walking in the garden is free. Opening days and directions to the site are covered on the Koishiki page.
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Q&A
- Can I see inside Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)?
- No. The interior of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) is closed, but the exterior can be viewed free of charge from the garden.
- How old is Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)?
- Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) dates from the early Taisho period and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.
- What is the layout of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)?
- Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) has a six-mat room and a three-mat anteroom, plus a corridor leading to a lavatory. The building area is 62 square meters.
- What can I see of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) from outside?
- From the garden you can see the lath-lined eaves of Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) and the arched lattice windows set in the wall above the lintels.
- Why is Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) was registered as a building that sets a standard for design, for its polished sukiya-style detailing and careful workmanship in the alcove, eaves and windows.
Basic Information
| Name | Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room) |
|---|---|
| Location | 178 Nagai, Fuchu-cho, Fuchu City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered November 8, 2004 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single-storey, tiled roof, building area 62 square meters |
| Owner | Koishiki Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior closed. Exterior visible from the garden (free, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., January 4 to December 28) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004418
- Cultural Heritage Online: Koishiki Annex (Kiku Room)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140188
- Public opening of the Koishiki main house (Fuchu City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.fuchu.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/keizaikanko/syokokanko/kankosinko/koisiki/9340.html
- Hourly room rental at Koishiki (Fuchu City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.fuchu.hiroshima.jp/soshiki/keizaikanko/syokokanko/kankosinko/koisiki/9343.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
