About the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy
The Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy (梶原家住宅下腹雪隠, Kajiwara-ke Jūtaku Shitabara Setchin) is a Taisho-era (1912 to 1925) garden privy northeast of the tea room on the Kajiwara estate in Oshio, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
The Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy measures just 1.7 by 1.3 meters, a building area of 2.2 square meters.
Decorative and Working Privies
A Japanese tea garden (roji) traditionally includes a privy, known as a setchin. There are two kinds. The suna-setchin, floored with sand, is kept pristine as part of the garden's ritual scenery and is not normally used; the shitabara-setchin is the one that actually serves guests. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes this building plainly as a privy that was put to use.
The Kajiwara estate keeps both. Its decorative sand privy is built onto the north end of the inner waiting bench, north of the Shizunoya tea room. The working privy stands on its own northeast of the tea room, and it is this building that was registered in its own right.
A Roof of Two Shapes
The Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy has an unusual roof: hipped on the west side and gabled on the east, covered in cypress bark (hiwadabuki). The national database singles out its gentle roofline and rust-flecked sabi-kabe walls.
Inside, the west half is a urinal and the east half a toilet. A board door hangs on the west side and a sarudo, the simple wooden wicket gate used in tea gardens, on the western half of the south side. Log posts and sabi-kabe walls tie it to the tea buildings around it.
The registration cites its contribution to the historic landscape. That a two-square-meter privy earned its own registration says a good deal about how carefully the whole tea quarter was built.
Seeing the Shitabara Privy
The Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy is part of a private home and is not open to the public. Tucked inside the compound northeast of the tea room, it is unlikely to be visible from the street (not checked on site).
Layout and directions are on the Kajiwara Family Residence (Nishi-Kajiwara) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- How do you pronounce the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy in Japanese?
- Shitabara setchin. Setchin is a traditional word for a privy.
- What is the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy?
- A working privy for the tea garden, built in the Taisho era.
- How does the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy differ from a sand privy?
- A sand privy is decorative and kept unused; a shitabara privy is the one actually used. The Kajiwara estate has both.
- What shape is the roof of the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy?
- Hipped on the west and gabled on the east, roofed in cypress bark.
- Can I see the Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy?
- No. It lies inside a private residence that is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Kajiwara Family Residence Shitabara Privy |
|---|---|
| Location | 457 Miyanomoto, Oshiocho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2009 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 2.2 m² (1.7 m by 1.3 m) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: 梶原家住宅下腹雪隠
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007894
- Himeji City: 梶原家住宅（西梶原）下腹雪隠
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001758.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: 梶原家住宅内腰掛待合
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007898
Last verified: 2026.09.30
