A family privy in the back garden
Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet (森医院外便所, Mori Iin Sotobenjo) is a detached toilet on the Mori medical family's estate in Manoshinmachi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, built in the early Showa era and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2006.
It stands against the west boundary of the plot, between the household goods storehouse and the main house extension. At 2.1 metres by 1.5 metres, a building area of 3.0 square metres, it is the smallest of the eight structures at Mori Clinic. It is a single-storey timber building with a gabled roof of sheet iron, and Sado City describes it as the family's own privy.
Why a 3 square metre toilet was registered
Its registration criterion, shared by all eight entries, is contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs counts Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet among the elements that make up the back garden. It was registered for its part in that view, not for its size or age.
If the hospital building on the front yard was the public face of the estate, this privy, which shares the back garden with the storehouses, belongs to the private side of family life. That even a building visitors never saw was kept and registered says a good deal about how complete the Mori estate is.
Bracketed eaves and two compartments
The outside is covered in corrugated sheet iron and horizontal boards. Only the front eave is treated differently: it is built in the Degeta-zukuri manner, giving this tiny shed a surprisingly deep and carefully made overhang. Sado City's summary of the estate picks out the same detail.
Inside, the toilet is divided into two compartments. How they were used is not recorded.
Utilitarian corrugated walls paired with a carefully built front eave: that contrast is what to notice about Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet.
Seeing Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet
Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet is privately owned and not open to visitors.
It sits in the back garden on the west side of the plot, and the primary sources do not confirm that it can be seen from the street. The grounds are private, so stay outside. Viewing conditions for the whole estate, and directions, are on the Mori Clinic page.
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Q&A
- When was Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet built?
- In the early Showa era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2006.
- How big is Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet?
- It measures 2.1 metres by 1.5 metres, a building area of 3.0 square metres, and is the smallest of the eight registered structures at Mori Clinic.
- Why was Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet registered?
- It was recognised as one of the elements that make up the back garden landscape of the estate, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape.
- What is notable about Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet?
- The front eave is built in the degeta-zukuri manner, a careful touch on a building otherwise clad in corrugated iron and boards. The inside has two compartments.
- Can I see Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet?
- It is privately owned and not open. It stands in the back garden, and the sources do not confirm that it is visible from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet |
|---|---|
| Location | 502-A, Manoshinmachi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 18 October 2006 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, sheet-iron roof, building area 3.0 square metres |
| Owner | Private (no owner named in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior viewing from the street only) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Mori Clinic Outdoor Toilet
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005810
- Sado City: Registered Tangible Cultural Property, Mori Clinic (Japanese)
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4962.html
Last verified: 2026.09.21
