A Retirement Study Off the Courtyard
Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki (鳥取家住宅裏座敷, Tottori-ke Jūtaku Ura-zashiki) is a late-Meiji retirement wing in Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 2021.
It is a single-storey building west of the Main House, facing the inner courtyard. Covered walkways tie it to the Main House, the Bathhouse and the Hiya, so it works as the hinge of the compound's western half. The roof is hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) in Sangawara-buki tile, and the building covers 58 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912.
According to the owner's website, the founder, Tottori Jūzaburō, built it for his own retirement soon after the Storehouse of 1906. Later it was used for tea ceremony classes.
Why It Was Registered: Careful Carpentry
The Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki was registered as a model of good design. The official description calls it a carefully crafted example of a modern Japanese study room, or shoin.
A narrow open veranda runs along the south side, and above it the eaves reach out long and low at a gentle pitch, their underside finished with slender exposed battens. The shallow angle keeps the roof edge almost level and throws deep shade across the veranda.
Inside are two eight-mat rooms. The southern one has a matted Tokonoma alcove and a hira-shoin, a simple built-in window set flush in the wall beside the alcove, unlike the projecting Tsukeshoin of grander houses. Both the transom between the two rooms and the one over the shoin window carry openwork Ranma in the shape of Mount Fuji.
What to Look For
The Mount Fuji transoms are the detail most visitors would remember. The same motif appears twice, so that from a seated position on the tatami the mountain's outline floats just above eye level.
Outside, compare the low eaves of the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki with the steep roof of the Main House next door. Jūzaburō chose a quieter, more horizontal profile for his retirement.
To the west lies the Rear Zashiki's own garden, with the West Gate on its southern edge. Because corridors and veranda wrap around the garden, the wing feels open even though it sits deep inside the compound.
Visiting
The Rear Zashiki 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 history of the compound and visiting conditions are covered on the Tottori Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Can visitors see the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki?
- Its interior is not open. There is no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance.
- What was the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki built for?
- The founder Tottori Jūzaburō built it as his retirement quarters. It was later used for tea ceremony classes.
- What should I look for at the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki?
- The openwork transoms shaped like Mount Fuji, and the long, low eaves above the south veranda.
- When was the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912. Family records place it just after the Storehouse of 1906.
- Why was the Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki registered?
- As a model of good design, for the careful carpentry of this modern Japanese study wing.
Basic Information
| Name | Tottori Family Residence Rear Zashiki |
|---|---|
| Location | 1764 Kasada Kasaoka Goemon, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 37-0453 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 58 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 Rear Zashiki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014098
- 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
