What Is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing?
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing (黒田清右衛門商店座敷棟, zashiki-tō) is a late Meiji-period guest wing set at an angle off the southwest corner of the main house of Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten, a hardware wholesaler in Honmachi 2-chome, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2019.
It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 55 m². The government database dates it to the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, and lists it as registration number 28-0721.
Why the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing Was Registered
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing was registered as a model of design. Of the 11 structures registered on the same day, only this wing and the annex were registered on that criterion; the other nine were registered for their part in the streetscape. Here it is the rooms themselves, not the view from the road, that earned the listing.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums the wing up as a fine reception room of a merchant house, and Miki City says the same of its principal room with its alcove, shelves and writing desk bay. This is where a wholesaler entertained the trade customers who came to buy Miki tools, fitted out around the turn of the 20th century. It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for the quality of that room.
What to Look for at the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing
Set at an angle
The most unusual thing about the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing is its angle. It joins the southwest of the main house on a slant rather than at a right angle. No source explains why; one reading is that the wing was turned to face the garden to the south, but that is interpretation, not record.
A broad plastered gable
The roof is a simple gable, Kirizuma-zukuri, laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles. The triangular gable wall is unusually broad for a single-storey wing and is plastered all over with white Shikkui, which gives the building most of its character from outside.
Two eight-mat rooms and two verandas
Inside are just two eight-mat rooms in a north-south line. The south room is the formal reception room, with a Tokonoma alcove, display shelves and a built-in writing bay; the north room is the anteroom. Verandas run along both the north and south sides. The south veranda looks onto the garden, and the north veranda is the passage back to the main house. A toilet sits in the northwest corner. A guest would come along the north veranda, pass through the anteroom and sit in the south room facing the garden, and the plan still makes that sequence plain.
Visiting the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing stands inside the premises behind the main house and does not face the street. It belongs to a working company and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026). The Miki City History Museum web page includes a photograph of the inner room, which is the easiest way to see the interior.
Directions and the history of the premises are on the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing built?
- In the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It was registered in 2019.
- Why is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing a registered cultural property?
- It was registered as a model of design: its principal room, with alcove, shelves and writing bay, is a fine example of a merchant's reception room.
- What is the layout of the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing?
- Two eight-mat rooms in a north-south line: the reception room to the south and an anteroom to the north, with verandas on both sides and a toilet at the northwest.
- How is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing connected to the main house?
- It joins the southwest of the main house at an angle, and the north veranda leads back into the house.
- Can visitors see the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing?
- It stands behind the main house and cannot be seen from the street, and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 980 Honmachi 2-chome and other lots, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 55 m² |
| Owner | Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open (inside the premises, not facing the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Reception Wing (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013154
- Miki City History Museum: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/site/mikirekishishiryokan/19137.html
- Miki City press release on the registration, July 16, 2019 (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/13117.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.02
