Seifuso

Seifuso: The Kyoto Residence of Saionji Kinmochi

Seifuso (清風荘) is a sukiya-style residence in Tanaka Sekiden-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, whose main house was completed in 1912; twelve of its buildings, including the main house, the annex and the tea house, were designated an Important Cultural Property in 2012.

Seifuso stands east of the Kamo River and north of Imadegawa-dori. The Sumitomo family built it as the Kyoto home of the elder statesman Saionji Kinmochi. The main house was finished in 1912 and the ancillary buildings by 1914. According to Kyoto University, the Sumitomo family looked after it after Saionji's death and donated it, with its garden, to Kyoto Imperial University in June 1944.

The designation covers twelve buildings: the main house, annex, storehouse, ancillary building, guard house, shed, tea house, attendants' waiting room, entrance hall and waiting room, first middle gate, second middle gate and main gate. It was designated on 9 July 2012 and is owned by Kyoto University, for which it is the only Important Cultural Property among its buildings.

Why It Is Protected

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the buildings are arranged around the main house in the western half of the site, with the annex to the east, the storehouse, shed and ancillary building to the north, the tea house to the south and the main gate to the west. The rooms of the main house are linked across courtyards large and small, and the upstairs reception room looks out to the Higashiyama hills. Every building is fine sukiya work with the quiet interiors of a private home.

The design was by Yagi Jinbei II, a builder attached to the Sumitomo family, while the sukiya carpenter Kamisaka Asajiro handled the tea house and the attendants' waiting room. The agency calls Seifuso a sukiya house of refined design whose ancillary buildings survive as a complete ensemble, and one of the finest achievements of modern Japanese-style architecture.

What to Look For

The main house is timber, partly two storeys, with a hipped roof of interlocking tiles and some shingles, and a building area of 323.75 square metres. Courtyards set between the rooms bring light and garden views into each one, and the upstairs view of the Higashiyama hills shows what Saionji wanted from the house.

The tea house of 1914 has stepped gabled roofs in cypress bark and tile, with a building area of 26.16 square metres. It and the attendants' waiting room show a sukiya carpenter's craft distinct from that of the main house.

The garden, by Ogawa Jihei VII, is separately designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty, the Seifuso Garden. The buildings and garden were planned as one, and both are essential to understanding Seifuso.

Visiting

Seifuso is used by Kyoto University for education, receptions and meetings and is not normally open to the public. The university has held trial openings and building tours during its alumni homecoming days. Check Kyoto University's announcements for any opening.

It lies in Tanaka Sekiden-cho, Sakyo Ward, north of Imadegawa-dori and east of the Kamo River. The grounds cannot be entered outside public openings. Follow the instructions given on the day regarding photography.