A guest room moved into a copper mine
The Former Senjutei Special Room Building (旧泉寿亭特別室棟, Kyū-Senjutei Tokubetsushitsu-tō) is a single-story wooden structure of 1937 in Tachikawacho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 August 2009. It stands in the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi, a visitor complex built on the grounds of the former Besshi copper mine.
The building did not begin life on this site, nor as a building on its own. Niihama City records that Senjutei was put up in December 1937 as lodgings, on the plot now occupied by the Besshi Copper Mine Memorial Library. The name plays on Izumiya, the house name of the Sumitomo family, which ran the mine; senju carries the sense of wishing that house well. When the lodgings closed, the guest entrance and one of the special rooms were taken apart and rebuilt here in 1991. That fragment is what visitors see today.
It measures 8.6 meters across the front and 11 meters deep, with a building area of 114 square meters. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri hipped-and-gabled, covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles, with copper sheeting along the eaves alone. A gabled porch projects on the west side, sheltered by a canopy. Inside, a six-mat and a ten-mat Zashiki sit one behind the other on a north-south axis, ringed on all four sides by a veranda.
Why it was listed, and what joined it
The Agency for Cultural Affairs listed the Former Senjutei Special Room Building under the criterion of being a model of design. Its registration number is 38-0091, from the 64th round of listings. The agency's database describes the workmanship as sukiya in character: unmilled logs used freely around the eaves, with bamboo and cedar bark worked in at various points.
Most of what survives at Besshi belongs to production. Tunnels, rail bridges, smelter chimneys, a hydroelectric station. This one building sits outside that category. Sumitomo built it to receive people, and the city notes that the special room was reserved for honored guests alone.
Two other properties were listed on the same day, 7 August 2009: the former Besshi Mine Railway Hadeba Bridge over the Ashitani River, and the former Besshi Mine Railway Hadeba Tunnel. Both are in Tachikawacho, and both are engineering works. Adding a reception building to that group on the same date gave the listed heritage of Hadeba a character other than industry.
Logs, bamboo and a copper edge
Walk up to the building and the eaves catch the eye first. Rather than squared timber, much of the framing uses logs left round, stripped of bark but keeping their bends and knots. Against the straight lines of the mine structures nearby, the effect is deliberately irregular.
Bamboo and cedar bark appear throughout. Both are standard materials in Sukiya-zukuri, a manner of building that chooses plain, even humble surfaces instead of announcing rank. It explains why a room meant for important visitors carries so little ornament.
The roof reads as a field of reddish-brown pantiles broken by one line of copper along the lower edge. The copper has weathered to its own color, and from a distance the join between the two materials looks like a thin border drawn around the roof.
A signboard reading "Bekkan Senjutei" hangs at the entrance. According to Niihama City it was brushed by Oda Shisei, a calligrapher from Imabari.
The two rooms, six mats and ten mats, run north to south with the veranda wrapping around them. Knowing that only the entrance and this one room were chosen for relocation changes how you look at them. The question becomes which part of the original Senjutei you are standing in.
Visiting
The Former Senjutei Special Room Building sits inside the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi and costs nothing to see. The complex lists Senjutei, along with the former Hadeba hydroelectric power station, among its free facilities. The paid attractions, the mine tour train and the gold-panning pool, are ticketed separately; looking at this building requires no admission.
Sightseeing facilities in the Hadeba area open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with seasonal variation. There is no regular closing day, though maintenance closures fall in February in some years. Check the city or the complex for notices before travelling.
No statement about photography appears on the operator's website. The building is used for events on some days, so follow the signage and any instructions from staff on site.
By public transport, start at Niihama Station on the JR Yosan Line. From stand 2 at the station bus stop, a Setouchi Bus service bound for Minetopia Besshi takes about 20 minutes to the terminus, and the building is a short walk from there. Drivers will find 380 parking spaces in the Hadeba area.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Senjutei Special Room Building, and is there an admission fee?
- Yes, and it is free. The building stands in the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi, which lists it among its no-charge facilities. Paid attractions such as the mine tour and gold panning are ticketed separately, so seeing this building alone costs nothing.
- How do I reach the Former Senjutei Special Room Building from the nearest station?
- The nearest station is Niihama on the JR Yosan Line. Take a Setouchi Bus bound for Minetopia Besshi from stand 2 at the station bus stop; the ride is about 20 minutes to the terminus, and the building is a short walk away. Drivers have 380 parking spaces available.
- Is photography allowed at the Former Senjutei Special Room Building?
- The operator's website does not state a policy. Because the building is used for events on some days, check the signage on site and follow any instructions from staff.
- Why was the Former Senjutei Special Room Building moved to its present site?
- It is a surviving fragment of Senjutei, a lodging house that stood elsewhere in Niihama. Niihama City records that after the lodgings ceased operating, the guest entrance and one special room were dismantled and rebuilt within Minetopia Besshi in 1991.
- How long does a visit to the Former Senjutei Special Room Building take?
- The property is a single wooden building, 8.6 meters across and 11 meters deep, so 15 minutes covers the exterior and the two rooms. Combine it with the other listed industrial structures around Hadeba and you should allow half a day.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Senjutei Special Room Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 598-1 Tachikawacho, Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 7 August 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 8.6 meters wide, 11 meters deep, building area 114 square meters |
| Owner | Niihama City |
| Public Access | Open to the public, free of charge, within the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database — Former Senjutei Special Room Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007810
- Niihama City — Newly Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (3): Former Senjutei Special Room
- https://www.city.niihama.lg.jp/soshiki/dozan/torokusenjyutei.html
- Niihama City — Designated and Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.niihama.lg.jp/soshiki/bunka/shiteitourokubunkazai.html
- Niihama City — Minetopia Besshi (Hadeba Zone)
- https://www.city.niihama.lg.jp/map/maintopia-hadeba.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05