A Sukiya Annex of 1933
The Senzai Family Residence Annex (千歳家住宅離れ) is a detached annex in sukiya style of 1933 in Awabashicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 28, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The family name 千歳 is read Senzai here, not Chitose.
The Agency records a single-storey timber building roofed in tile, with a building area of 53 square metres; registration number 26-0523.
Two Rooms Behind the Main House
The Senzai Family Residence Annex stands to the west, at the back of the main house, joined to it by a covered corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of pantiles, with lean-to eaves (Geya) over the verandas on the south and west.
There are two rooms: a main room of 7 tatami mats and a 4-mat room whose ceiling is partly a boat-bottom ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs). In the main room the alcove (Tokonoma) and the staggered shelves (Chigaidana) meet at a right angle, and a round window opens beside the alcove.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes the Senzai Family Residence Annex as a sukiya building in which the carpenter's originality shows, citing the unusual alcove post finished with hatchet marks and the shelves carved with a seigaiha wave pattern; it was registered as a model of design.
Built in 1933, 64 years after the main house, the Senzai Family Residence Annex is a room for receiving guests, quite different in character from the Meiji house in front.
What to Look For
The details of the Senzai Family Residence Annex gather around the alcove of the main room: the hatchet-marked post, the wave carving on the shelves and the round window beside them, all within a few steps (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
In the 4-mat room, look up at the ceiling that rises to a ridge like the inside of a boat's hull. In two small rooms, the effort went into ceilings and alcove fittings.
Visiting
The Senzai Family Residence Annex stands behind the main house. No official information on interior access was found, and it is not confirmed whether it can be seen from the street.
Q&A
- When was the Senzai Family Residence Annex built?
- In 1933 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Senzai Family Residence Annex?
- At the back of the main house to the west, linked to it by a covered corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for in the Senzai Family Residence Annex?
- The hatchet-marked alcove post, the shelves carved with waves, the round window and the boat-bottom ceiling of the small room.
- Can I visit the Senzai Family Residence Annex?
- No official information on interior access was found.
- When was the Senzai Family Residence Annex registered?
- On June 28, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Senzai Family Residence Annex (千歳家住宅離れ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 401 and other lots, Awabashicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/06/28 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 1 storey, tile roof, building area 53 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Senzai Family Residence Annex (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011734
Last verified: 2026.11.02
