A Greenhouse for Aoi and Songbirds
Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse (鳥取家住宅温室, Tottori-ke Jūtaku Onshitsu) is an early-Showa greenhouse in Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 2021.
It is a long, narrow single-storey building near the south end of the compound's western edge, facing east. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a building for growing aoi and keeping small birds. Aoi is a plant name that can mean hollyhocks or the wild gingers prized by Japanese collectors, and neither source says which. The roof is gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) in Sangawara-buki tile, and the building covers 40 square metres. The official record dates it to the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945, with renovation in 2007.
The owner's website credits Tottori Fujio, who devoted himself to his plants and birds here and ran a hobby circle called the Aoi Society Kachoen. The guesthouse now operating in the New Zashiki takes its name from it.
Why It Was Registered: An Unusual Backdrop
The Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The official description calls it an unusual building that forms the backdrop to the garden west of the New Zashiki.
Most people picture a greenhouse as glass on a frame. This one is a Japanese building with a tiled roof and clay walls: Shinkabe walls with posts exposed and clay left at the middle coat, a base band of Araidashi washed-pebble finish, and an open Wagoya roof frame with no ceiling.
Light comes from the east. That side is full of openings, doors alternating with sash windows, while the west is closed. From the house the building reads as a solid screen at the end of the garden; inside, it catches the morning sun.
What to Look For
The row of doors and windows on the east face of the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse is unusually open for a traditional building, a clue to its special purpose. The washed-pebble band at the base suits a building where plants were watered daily.
At the north end, the bamboo fence running from the West Gate meets the Greenhouse. Seen from the garden, greenhouse, gate and fence make one continuous backdrop.
Visiting
The Greenhouse is part of a private home and its interior is not open. The owner's website gives no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance. No photography rules are posted.
The layout of the compound and visiting conditions are covered on the Tottori Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What was the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse used for?
- Growing aoi plants and keeping small birds, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Tottori Fujio ran his Aoi Society Kachoen here.
- How is the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse built?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a gabled tile roof, clay walls, a washed-pebble base, and many doors and windows on the east side.
- When was the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse built?
- In the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945. It was renovated in 2007.
- Can visitors see the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse?
- Its interior is not open. There is no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance.
- Why was the Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse registered?
- As an unusual building forming the backdrop to the garden west of the New Zashiki, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1764 Kasada Kasaoka Goemon, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 37-0459 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 40 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; contact the owner in advance) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tottori Family Residence Greenhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014104
- Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kagawa
- https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/kenkyoui/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/culturalassets/culturalassets_16.html
- Guesthouse Kachoen, official site of the owner
- https://www.kachoen.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
