A Bathhouse Built for Guests
Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse (鳥取家住宅風呂場棟, Tottori-ke Jūtaku Furoba-tō) is an early-Showa bath 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 northwest of the New Zashiki, joined to the Main House by a covered corridor. The roof is hipped-and-gabled (Irimoya-zukuri) in Sangawara-buki tile, and the gable ends are filled with kizure-goshi latticework. It covers 34 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945.
According to the owner's website it went up at the same time as the New Zashiki and contains a guest bath, a toilet, a washroom and a small rest room. Because it was reserved for important visitors, family members were not allowed to use it until around the mid-Showa years.
Why It Was Registered: Care Lavished on a Small Building
The Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse was registered as a model of good design. The official description notes how much design went into so small a building.
The eaves over the veranda are double, with round rafters laid over square ones (Taruki) to make the overhang look deeper. Double eaves usually signal a building of some standing, and using them on a bathhouse says plenty about how seriously the family took its guests.
Inside, tiles surround the goemon-buro, a cast-iron tub heated by fire from below. The ceiling is a raised coffered (Gō-tenjō) design with a steam vent built in, and the owner's website adds that the floor and washbasin are finished in matching small tiles.
The three-mat rest room has an elaborate alcove arrangement. The owner lists a decorative light window, a floor laid with a single board of keyaki (zelkova) and a side alcove (Tokowaki) with low cupboards, and likens the room to a small Chashitsu tea room.
What to Look For
Outside, study the latticed gable and the double eaves of the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse. Stand under the eaves and look up to see the square and round rafters stacked one over the other.
Inside the bath, look for the vented coffered ceiling and the tilework around the tub. To use a goemon-buro you step onto a floating wooden board and push it down, which keeps your feet off the hot iron.
Using the Bath
The Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse serves guests of the Kachoen guesthouse in the New Zashiki. The owner's website says the tub can be heated with firewood or filled from the tap, and guests can even try splitting the wood they burn.
There is no information on visits for non-guests, and no photography rules are posted. Directions are on the Tottori Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Can I bathe in the goemon-buro at the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse?
- Yes, if you stay at the Kachoen guesthouse in the New Zashiki. The tub can be wood-fired or filled from the tap.
- When was the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945. The owner's website says it was built together with the New Zashiki.
- Why was the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse registered?
- For the quality of its design: double eaves, a tiled bath with a vented coffered ceiling, and a rest room with an elaborate alcove, all in a very small building.
- What rooms are in the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse?
- A guest bath, a toilet, a washroom and a three-mat rest room.
- Where is the Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse?
- Northwest of the New Zashiki, linked to the Main House by a covered corridor.
Basic Information
| Name | Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1764 Kasada Kasaoka Goemon, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 37-0452 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 34 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Used by guests of the Kachoen guesthouse; not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tottori Family Residence Bathhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014097
- 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
