Baiso

About Baiso

Baiso (梅荘) is a seaside villa completed around 1907 in Kojima-Kayo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, whose five buildings, the main building, annex, detached room, maids' quarters and kitchen, and storehouse, were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property structures on March 26, 2015. It was built by Nozaki Bukichiro, grandson of the salt-field magnate Nozaki Buzaemon, to commemorate victory in the Russo-Japanese War (Kurashiki City).

Kurashiki City says it was first planned as a rest house for the Nozaki family's sea bathing. Carpenters were brought from Kyoto, and the work, which took more than two years, was supervised by Kuga Shonen, a literati painter versed in sencha tea who was also a garden designer. The name, meaning "plum villa", comes from the many plum trees in the garden.

How the Five Buildings Are Arranged

At Baiso the main building stands at the centre, with the annex to the north, the detached room to the west, the maids' quarters and kitchen to the east and the storehouse to the northeast (Kurashiki City). The annex and detached room are linked to the main building by covered corridors, and the maids' quarters and kitchen adjoin it on the east (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The annex is an early Meiji building moved here around 1907; the other four were completed around 1907. The main building was renovated in 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

All five were registered as buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. Kurashiki City notes that the main building, with its sencha tea room, and the sencha-style detached room show how the formal Japanese reception room developed in the modern era.

Visiting Baiso

Baiso is privately owned. Since 2004 the owner has run it as a restaurant serving mainly udon noodles, and visitors may enter free of charge (Kurashiki tourism website). Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (evenings by reservation), closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There is free parking for 40 cars; telephone 086-473-0900.

Baiso stands beside National Route 430 overlooking the Seto Inland Sea (Kurashiki tourism website). The address is 1200 Kojima-Kayo, Kurashiki City. How much of each building can be seen is noted on its own page.