What Is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan?
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan (旧藤森家住宅西方庵, Saihōan) is a single-storey tea house in the north-west corner of the Fujimori estate in Funabashi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, built in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.
Saihōan faces south onto the garden. It holds a six-mat tea room, a four-and-a-half-mat anteroom and a Mizuya for preparing utensils, 48 m² in all, under a hip-and-gable roof of pantiles with a copper-clad eave running along the garden side. It was already here when the Fujimori family bought the land, and the estate they completed in 1940 was built around this tea compound.
Name and Registration
The caretakers of the house say the name Saihōan was given by Tantansai, the fourteenth grand master of the Urasenke school of tea. Who commissioned the tea house, and why, is not clearly known.
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its open character and the way the garden path is drawn right inside the building.
What to Look For
Many people picture a tea room as a small, dim space entered on hands and knees. The six-mat room at Saihōan does the opposite: a wide bank of shoji faces the garden, and on a clear day the room fills with reflected light.
The ceiling is a boat-bottom ceiling, rising in the centre like an upturned hull and covered entirely in fine bamboo blinds. It keeps a larger room from feeling lofty and softens voices. The caretakers add that the inner walls use jūraku clay mixed with chopped straw, while the outer walls are a rust-red clay coloured by iron, with cypress posts and cedar and bamboo for the finer joinery.
Look also at how guests reached the anteroom. According to the Agency, the Roji, the stepping-stone path of the tea garden, continues indoors to meet it, so the line between garden and building blurs as you enter. The whole north-western corner of the estate, from the garden gate past the waiting pavilion, leads to this moment.
Seeing Saihōan
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan can be seen on public opening days. It sits deep in the north-west of the plot; from the street at other times, little more than the wall of the neighbouring preparation house is visible.
The tea house reads best from the south, across the garden, where the shoji and the copper eave line up. The official photograph is taken from the south-west. The notices do not say if visitors may enter the tea room or take photos, so ask the volunteers on the day. Opening dates and directions are on the Former Fujimori Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan (Tea House)
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan built?
- In 1930, before the Fujimori family bought the land. It became part of their estate in 1940.
- Who named the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan?
- According to the caretakers, Tantansai, the fourteenth grand master of the Urasenke school of tea.
- What rooms does the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan have?
- A six-mat tea room, a four-and-a-half-mat anteroom and a preparation area, 48 m² under a hip-and-gable tiled roof with a copper garden-side eave.
- What makes the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan unusual?
- Its openness: a bamboo-blind boat-bottom ceiling, wide shoji facing the garden, and a garden path that runs indoors to the anteroom.
- Can I visit the Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan?
- On public opening days: the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Ask on the day about entering the tea room and taking photos.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Fujimori Family Residence Saihoan (Tea House) (旧藤森家住宅西方庵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2 Funabashicho 3-chome, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2022 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 48 m² |
| Owner | Himeji City |
| Public Access | Open to the public on the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon (may close in bad weather) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 旧藤森家住宅西方庵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014277
- Kyū Fujimori-ke Jūtaku o Mamoru Kai: Former Fujimori Family Residence
- https://sites.google.com/view/https-fujimori-publich-hp
- Himeji City: Public Opening of the Former Fujimori Family Residence
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000030546.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
