What the Shoin and Connecting Corridor Are
The Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor (横山家住宅書院及び渡廊下, Yokoyama-ke Jūtaku Shoin oyobi Watarirōka) in Oaza Komono, Komono Town, Mie Prefecture, is a single-storey timber reception wing built around 1968, together with the covered corridor that links it to the main house; it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on April 3, 2020. It covers 96 square meters under a tiled roof, partly finished in metal sheet.
It stands west of the main house. The youngest of the six registered buildings, it was planned at the same time as Shigemori Mirei's garden, on the site of an older wing that was pulled down.
It was only just over 50 years old when it was registered. What earned it a place was the quality of its joinery and the way it was designed as one piece with the garden.
The Formal Room
The shoin itself has two rooms: a 10-mat formal room on the west and a 6-mat anteroom. The formal room has a raised display shelf beside the alcove, known as a biwa-dana, a built-in writing desk (Tsukeshoin), and staggered shelves (Chigaidana) with a small cupboard above (Tenbukuro).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin as a modern Japanese reception room of clear, clean workmanship, and Komono Town points to the refined carpentry of the alcove and veranda. It is register no. 24-0277, registered under the historic landscape criterion.
Verandas for the Garden
Verandas (Engawa) run along the north, east and south sides. From the south you look over Shigemori's dry landscape front garden; from the north, over the rear garden of alternating red and white sand. Komono Town singles out this view of the garden as the shoin's defining feature.
On the west side is a covered waiting bench (Koshikake-machiai), where guests at a tea gathering wait to be called. From here a line of stepping stones leads to the Jinjitsuan tea house to the southwest, so the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor is both a room for looking at the garden and the starting point of the path to tea.
Seeing the Shoin
At events, the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor is often where visitors sit to look at the garden. The owner runs small sessions in which guests spend 2 hours in the shoin looking out, and photography is allowed at those sessions.
On other days the interior cannot be seen. Event details and how to book are on the Yokoyama Family Residence group page.
Q&A
- When was the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor built?
- Around 1968, replacing an older wing, at the same time as Shigemori Mirei remade the garden.
- What rooms does the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin contain?
- A 10-mat formal room and a 6-mat anteroom. The formal room has a biwa-dana display shelf, a built-in writing desk, and staggered shelves with a small cupboard above.
- Can you see the garden from the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin?
- Yes. Verandas on three sides look south over the dry landscape front garden and north over the rear garden.
- What is the waiting bench on the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin for?
- It is where tea guests wait before entering the tea room. It is on the west side, and stepping stones lead from it to the Jinjitsuan tea house.
- Can visitors see the Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor?
- Not on ordinary days. At the owner's reservation-only events, visitors can sit in the shoin and view the garden.
Basic Information
| Name | Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor (横山家住宅書院及び渡廊下) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2657 and other lots, Aza Nakazato, Oaza Komono, Komono Town, Mie District, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 24-0277 |
| Year Designated | Registered April 3, 2020 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey wooden building, tiled roof partly metal-sheeted, building area 96 square meters |
| Owner | Waiwai Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open regularly. By reservation at events |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013262
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yokoyama Family Residence Shoin and Connecting Corridor
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/402531
- Registered Cultural Property: Yokoyama Family Residence (Komono Town, in Japanese)
- https://www2.town.komono.mie.jp/site/kankou/2028.html
- Komono Cultural Properties Newsletter, Issue 34 (Komono Town Board of Education)
- https://www2.town.komono.mie.jp/uploaded/attachment/5102.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.27
