About the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen
The Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen (梅荘女中部屋及び台所) is the service wing, built around 1907 and partly of two storeys, attached to the east of the main building at the Baiso villa in Kojima-Kayo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 26, 2015.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a timber building, single storey and partly 2 storeys, with a tiled roof and a building area of 108 square metres; registration number 33-0270, dated around 1907. No owner is listed in the national record, and Kurashiki City gives it as privately owned. Baiso was built as a villa by Nozaki Bukichiro, grandson of the salt-field magnate Nozaki Buzaemon, to commemorate victory in the Russo-Japanese War (Kurashiki City).
Why It Was Registered
The Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it for showing what the household service quarters of a villa were like.
What to Look For
From north to south the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen runs maids' room, kitchen and well house. The maids' room and the kitchen are of two storeys, with the well house at the south end (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The maids' room is finished in black plaster outside, with a bath at its southeast corner. The kitchen has part of its ground floor in namako-kabe, tiles set in a lattice of raised plaster, and its upper floor in grey plaster (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The wall finishes change from section to section, so walk along the outside and compare them.
Visiting the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen
Baiso is privately owned, and its main building is used as a restaurant (Kurashiki City). We found no official information on whether the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen is open inside. Hours and directions are on the Baiso page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen built?
- Around 1907.
- What is the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen?
- The villa's service wing: a two-storey maids' room, a two-storey kitchen and a well house in a row.
- When was the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen registered as a cultural property?
- On March 26, 2015.
- What are the walls of the Baiso service wing like?
- Black plaster on the maids' room; namako-kabe on part of the kitchen's ground floor and grey plaster above.
- Who built the Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen?
- Nozaki Bukichiro, grandson of the salt-field magnate Nozaki Buzaemon, as part of the Baiso villa commemorating the Russo-Japanese War victory (Kurashiki City).
Basic Information
| Name | Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen (梅荘女中部屋及び台所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1200 Daimyojin, Kojima-Kayo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/3/26 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | A timber building, single storey and partly 2 storeys, with a tiled roof and a building area of 108 square metres |
| Owner | Private (not listed in the national record) |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access (main building is a restaurant) |
References
- Baiso Maids' Quarters and Kitchen (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010508
- Baiso main building and four others (Kurashiki City, Cultural Properties Division)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/24989.htm
Last verified: 2026.10.06
