What Is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden?
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden (旧藤森家住宅産殿) is a single-storey birthing hall on the Fujimori estate in Funabashi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, built around 1935 for the confinement of an imperial princess, moved here in 1940, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.
It stands just north of the Main Building under a hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof of pantiles, with a building area of 69 m². Although it sits behind the main house, it is the older of the two by a few years and was brought in from another estate.
A Royal Birth in Himeji
A sanden is the building set aside when a member of the imperial family gives birth. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this one first stood at a villa of the Hamamoto family elsewhere in Himeji and was used for the confinement of the consort of Prince Kaya Tsunenori.
The volunteers who care for the house fill in the story. Prince Kaya arrived in Himeji in 1935 to command an army cavalry regiment; the family lived in the Hamamoto villa at Otokoyama, and Princess Toshiko gave birth there to her fifth son. The caretakers add that a birthing hall was normally pulled down once its purpose was served, and regard this survival as an exception granted at the time.
The move date varies by one year. The national database gives 1940, the caretakers 1939, and both tie it to the building of the Fujimori main house. The Agency calls the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden a valuable surviving example of its type, and registered it as a model of design.
Inside the Birthing Hall
From the west, the plan runs from an eight-mat room with an alcove and a built-in writing desk (Tsukeshoin) to a six-mat room. A veranda runs along the south, and a corridor and a small Western room are attached at the east end. Two tatami rooms plus a Western room suits a household where doctors and attendants would come and go.
The south veranda is the thing to look at in the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden. It is glazed with unusually large panes, and a railing runs along its outer edge. Big sheets of glass were a luxury in the mid-1930s, and here they turn the rooms towards the garden and the light.
The caretakers note that the hall stands a step higher than the main house, and that one closet in the tatami rooms has since been converted into a family altar room.
Seeing the Sanden
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden can be seen on public opening days. It is tucked behind the main house, so there is little to see of it from the street at other times.
The official photograph looks at it from the south, the side where the glass doors and railing show best. Official notices do not say if visitors may step into the rooms or take photographs, so ask the volunteers on the day. Opening dates and directions are on the Former Fujimori Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- What is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden?
- A birthing hall built for an imperial confinement. It first stood at a Hamamoto family villa in Himeji and was used when the consort of Prince Kaya Tsunenori gave birth.
- When was the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden built and moved?
- It was built around 1935 and moved to the Fujimori estate in 1940 according to the national database; the caretakers give 1939.
- What is the layout of the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden?
- An eight-mat room with alcove and writing desk and a six-mat room, a south veranda, and a corridor and Western room at the east end, 69 m² in all.
- What is special about the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden?
- It is a rare surviving birthing hall, and its south veranda is fitted with large glass doors and an outer railing.
- Can I visit the Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden?
- On public opening days: the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Ask on the day about entering the rooms and taking photos.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Fujimori Family Residence Sanden (Birthing Hall) (旧藤森家住宅産殿) |
|---|---|
| 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 69 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): 旧藤森家住宅産殿
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014276
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧藤森家住宅産殿
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/584896
- 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
