About the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor
The Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor (上月家住宅待合, Kōzuki-ke Jūtaku Machiai) is a garden shelter for tea guests built around 1930 in Bozumachi, Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 25, 2011.
It stands in the Kozuki garden northeast of the tea house. This is a Koshikake-machiai, a roofed bench where guests sat until the host was ready for them. It covers 2.5 square metres and measures 2.9 metres by 0.97 metres, less than 1 metre deep.
The ridge runs north to south and the roof is a lopsided Maneki-yane, with one slope pulled out longer than the other to shelter the bench, all in copper sheet.
Why the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor Was Registered
The Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. It is the smallest of the seven registered buildings, yet together with the tea house it makes the garden work as a proper tea garden (Roji).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a neatly designed waiting arbor, and the reason is visible in the details: wall, floor and roof each get their own material, chosen with care in a very small footprint.
What to Look For
On the west face of the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor, the southern half is given over to the bench and the northern end to a small storage space. Guests sat facing west and waited to be called.
The walls are earthen plaster with cedar bark along the lower part of the east side. The floor is tataki, rammed earth beaten hard, which blurs the line between inside and out.
Look up and the rafters (Taruki) alternate between slim logs and small bamboo, with the cedar-bark roof boarding left exposed above them. The alternating pattern gives the tiny ceiling a steady rhythm.
Visiting
The Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor stands in the garden of a private home and is not open to the public. No public opening had been announced as of October 2026.
It sits deep in the garden near the tea house and cannot be seen from the street. From outside the grounds, only the front gate is visible.
Q&A
- When was the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor built?
- Around 1930. It was registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 25, 2011.
- Can I visit the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor?
- No. It is in the garden of a private home, and no public opening had been announced as of October 2026.
- How big is the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor?
- It covers 2.5 square metres and measures 2.9 metres by 0.97 metres.
- Where is the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor?
- Inside the Kozuki garden, northeast of the tea house.
- What is unusual about the ceiling of the Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor?
- The rafters alternate between logs and small bamboo, and the cedar-bark roof boarding is left visible.
Basic Information
| Name | Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor (上月家住宅待合) |
|---|---|
| Location | 37-7 Bozumachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/7/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 2.5 square metres (2.9 metres by 0.97 metres; single-storey timber, copper roof) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- 上月家住宅待合 / Kozuki Family Residence Waiting Arbor (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008743
- 上月家住宅待合 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/161354
- 上月家住宅待合 (City of Himeji, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001705.html
- List of Registered Cultural Properties in Himeji (City of Himeji)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07
