About the Seishikan Water Tower
The Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Water Tower (静思館（旧冨田家住宅）給水塔, Seishikan Kyūsuitō) is an elevated water tank built in 1934 in Ueno, Inagawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004. It stands north of the Main House, next to the Middle Storehouse.
It was built so that the toilets of Tomita Kumasaku's house could be flushed. A pump raised well water into a tank at the top. The structure is a timber well shed with a tower on its roof, covering 9.8 m², and the Agency for Cultural Affairs classes it as a structure rather than a building.
Why the Seishikan Water Tower was registered
Of the 18 structures at Seishikan, only the Water Tower was registered on the grounds that it would be difficult to reproduce. The Agency notes that it was a pioneering installation for the area.
The town leaflet explains that water ran by gravity from the tank to pipes in the Main House and other buildings, including flush toilets, still a rarity at the time. In a hill village without mains water, Tomita built his own supply out of a well, a pump and a raised tank. Few such systems survive, and once lost they would be hard to rebuild.
What to look for at the Seishikan Water Tower
The base is a well shed 2 by 1.5 ken with a gabled pantile roof. Its posts lean slightly inward as they rise, a stance that braces them under the weight of the tank. On top sits a copper-roofed turret that holds the tank.
With a small roofed tower perched on a tiled roof, the Water Tower stands taller than anything around it. Looking up with the storehouses behind you, you can see the board walls of the turret and its copper roof clearly.
Visiting the Seishikan Water Tower
The Seishikan Water Tower stands in the back yard between the Main House and the Middle Storehouse and is viewed from outside; it is not a building you enter. Go through the Service Gate into the back yard to see it north of the Main House.
Opening days and access are on the Seishikan page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Water Tower
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- What was the Seishikan Water Tower for?
- It supplied water for flush toilets. Well water was pumped into a raised tank and fed by gravity to the Main House and other buildings.
- Where is the Seishikan Water Tower?
- North of the Main House, beside the Middle Storehouse. You reach it through the Service Gate into the back yard.
- Why is the Seishikan Water Tower a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2004 as difficult to reproduce, being a pioneering water system for the area. It is the only one of the 18 structures registered on that ground.
- How is the Seishikan Water Tower built?
- A gabled pantile well shed on inward-leaning posts carries a copper-roofed turret that holds the tank.
- How big is the Seishikan Water Tower?
- The well shed is 2 by 1.5 ken, with a building area of 9.8 m².
Basic Information
| Name | Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Water Tower (静思館（旧冨田家住宅）給水塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | 22 Ueno Machimawari, Inagawa Town, Kawabe District, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2 × 1.5 ken (ketayuki × harima), building area 9.8 m², with tower |
| Owner | Inagawa Town |
| Public Access | Open to the public as Seishikan (free; closed Mondays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 静思館（旧冨田家住宅）給水塔
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004166
- Inagawa Town: Inagawa Town Seishikan
- https://www.town.inagawa.lg.jp/soshiki/1036/gyomu/1/seishikan/6710.html
- Inagawa Town: Seishikan leaflet (PDF)
- https://www.town.inagawa.lg.jp/material/files/group/37/seishikan2.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
