Toilet and Bath for Guests
The Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory (長﨑家住宅上便所, Nagasaki-ke Jūtaku Kami-no-benjo) is a small toilet and bath building west of the formal reception wing of a merchant house in Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 28, 2011.
Kami-no-benjo, literally the upper toilet, is the traditional name for the better lavatory a household reserved for guests and the head of the family, separate from the one used day to day. The English name here reflects that meaning rather than any upstairs location; the building has only one floor.
It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 33 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the body as 7.0 metres by 3.0 metres, running north and south under a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. A small roof on the east side shelters a Kure-en veranda, and that veranda links it to the reception wing.
Inside, three rooms stand in a row, north to south: toilet, dressing room, bath. The Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory is really a compact bathhouse for visitors.
Why It Was Registered
Like the rest of the group, the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency's description goes further and calls it part of a fine space for entertaining guests.
The telling detail is in the middle room. The dressing room has a toko, a small decorative alcove of the Tokonoma kind, and a cupboard with sliding doors. Giving a changing room a place for a flower or a hanging scroll shows that the family treated it as an extension of the reception rooms, not as a service space.
The reception wing and the lavatory were built in the same year and planned as a pair. A guest could walk from the tatami rooms along the veranda to toilet and bath without ever going outdoors, and it is the survival of that whole sequence that gives the building its value.
What to Look For
The plan could hardly be simpler: a strip of building 3.0 metres wide, three rooms in a line, a veranda down the east side giving access to each. The veranda continues from the west side of the reception wing, so one walkway runs from the tatami rooms to the far end of the bath.
The alcove sits exactly where it makes most sense, between toilet and bath, in the room where a guest would pause and tidy up.
The roof repeats the hipped pantile form of the reception wing, tying the two together. Because the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory stands deep inside the plot, none of this is visible from outside; the photographs in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database are the way to see it.
Visiting the Guest Lavatory
The building lies west of the reception wing at the back of a private property and cannot be seen from the old highway or nearby streets. No public opening of the interior could be confirmed during research for this article.
When you visit Hiketa, the most you can do is picture it on the plan, somewhere behind the main house and front fence that face the road.
Q&A
- What does kami-no-benjo mean in the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory?
- It is the traditional term for the better lavatory kept for guests and the head of the household, separate from the one used every day. It does not mean an upstairs toilet.
- What is inside the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory?
- The Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory holds three rooms in a row from north to south: toilet, dressing room and bath. The dressing room has a small decorative alcove and a cupboard.
- How big is the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory?
- It is a single-storey timber building of 1930 measuring 7.0 metres by 3.0 metres, with a building area of 33 square metres.
- Why is the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory a registered cultural property?
- It was registered on October 28, 2011, as part of a fine suite for entertaining guests linked to the reception wing by a veranda, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
- Can I see the Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory?
- No. It stands at the back of a private property, out of sight of the street, and no public opening could be confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory (長﨑家住宅上便所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2417-2 Hatakata, Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/10/28 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 33 square metres; 7.0 metres by 3.0 metres (timber, single storey, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private (no owner named in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; not visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagasaki Family Residence Guest Lavatory
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009074
- Higashikagawa City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.higashikagawa.jp/soshikikarasagasu/shogaigakushuka/gyomuannai/8/1/1085.html
- Higashikagawa City Tourism Information: Hiketa Town Walking Map (PDF, Japanese)
- https://higashikagawa.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hiketa_map_k.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
