What Is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai?
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai (旧藤森家住宅待合) is a small single-storey waiting pavilion for tea-ceremony guests, standing between the Main Building and the Saihōan tea house on the Fujimori estate in Funabashi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; it was built in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.
The building covers just 17 m² under a gabled (kirizuma) roof of pantiles. It went up in the same year as the tea house, before the Fujimori family acquired the land.
A Lot Packed into 17 Square Metres
A machiai is where guests invited to a tea gathering settle themselves and wait for the host to call them. Many are no more than a roofed bench in the garden. The Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai does considerably more.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a plan split north and south. The southern half is a covered waiting bench floored with square clay tiles; the northern half holds an earth-floored entry, a three-mat tatami room and a small preparation area. Outdoor waiting, a room to rest in, and a place to ready tea and hot water all fit into 17 m².
The machiai was registered as a model of design, less for its size than for the care taken over its materials.
What to Look For
Look first at the eave projecting over the bench. It is roofed in overlapping sheets of cedar bark, and from below you see a exposed roof underside of hishigi-dake, bamboo split and flattened into strips. The main roof is tile; only the part above the guests' heads changes to rustic materials, and that is the view a seated guest would have.
In the three-mat room the ceiling is laid with split susudake, bamboo darkened to a deep amber by decades of smoke from farmhouse hearths, and the walls are clay with chopped fibre scattered through the surface. The caretakers point out that the final coat of plaster was deliberately left off to let the clay show.
Immediately to the east stands the privy of the same year. The Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai and its privy are best seen as a single set of facilities for guests at the tea house.
Seeing the Machiai
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai can be seen on public opening days. It stands inside the plot and cannot be seen from the street.
The bench and cedar-bark eave face south, which is also the angle of the official photograph. Stand in front of the bench and look up to see the split bamboo. The notices do not say if visitors may enter the tatami 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 Machiai (Waiting Pavilion)
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- What was the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai used for?
- It is where guests waited before being called into the Saihōan tea house. It stands between the Main Building and the tea house.
- When was the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai built?
- In 1930, the same year as the tea house and before the Fujimori family bought the land.
- What is inside the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai?
- A tiled waiting bench in the southern half, and an earth-floored entry, a three-mat room and a preparation area in the northern half, 17 m² in all.
- What details stand out at the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai?
- The cedar-bark eave with a split-bamboo underside, and the three-mat room with its smoked-bamboo ceiling and fibre-flecked clay walls.
- Can I visit the Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai?
- On public opening days: the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Ask on the day about entering the room and taking photos.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Fujimori Family Residence Machiai (Waiting Pavilion) (旧藤森家住宅待合) |
|---|---|
| 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 17 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): 旧藤森家住宅待合
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014279
- 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
