A Wing Built for Guests
The Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House (旧柚木家住宅（西爽亭）主屋) is a mid-Edo-period reception wing in Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, dated to the Tenmei era (1781 to 1788) and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on 18 October 2000. It is a single-story timber building with a Hongawarabuki tiled roof and a footprint of 106 square meters.
Despite the registered name, this is not where the Yunoki family lived day to day. It is a formal wing that runs in one line from a ceremonial entrance through an anteroom and two study-style rooms to a bath, all intended for visitors of rank. Kurashiki City presents this building to the public as Saisotei. The family's actual living quarters were converted into a lifelong-learning center and are not part of the listing.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places the Saisotei Main House at the foot of the hills southeast of Tamashima harbor, once a busy shipping port. The same grounds hold two other registered buildings: the Onarimon Gate on the street and the tea room in the southern corner.
Why It Counts as a "Model of Form"
Of the three registered buildings on the Yunoki estate, only the Saisotei Main House was listed as a model of form. The gate and the tea room qualified under other criteria, so this is the building valued for its design as a type.
What earns that label is the order of the rooms. A guest was received at the entrance hall, announced in the anteroom, led through the tsugi-no-ma and seated in the kami-no-ma, the room of honor. Beyond that lay a bath and toilets, so a visitor staying the night never had to leave the wing. The Agency describes the interior as formal and dignified in its finish.
Kurashiki City describes the house as samurai-style in layout, which it notes is unusual in Tamashima. A headman's family built a reception sequence modeled on warrior residences because the domain lord was expected to stop here.
From Entrance Hall to Bath
The Shikidai Entrance
The Shikidai entrance hall is two ken wide, about 3.6 meters, under a hip-and-gable roof. Its gable carries a decorative board shaped like a karahafu, the curved gable of temple gates, and the outline swells gently upward in what carpenters call mukuri.
Anteroom, Tsugi-no-ma and Kami-no-ma
Inside, the anteroom leads to the tsugi-no-ma and then the kami-no-ma. Kurashiki City notes that the finish of these two rooms is not especially lavish, yet the ceilings are fairly high and the rooms have the relaxed feel of a Sukiya-zukuri study. Rank here is expressed through height and space rather than applied ornament.
The tsugi-no-ma is also the room where Kumata Ataka, a Matsuyama domain retainer, is said to have taken his life in 1868 after pleading for the lives of his men. Many visitors to the Saisotei Main House pause here longer than anywhere else.
The Bath and Toilets
Past the kami-no-ma are a bath, a urinal, a toilet and a washbasin. Guest facilities of this kind rarely survive in their original position next to the reception rooms, and here you can follow the whole routine of an overnight guest on foot.
Visiting the Saisotei Main House
The Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House is the core of the public section, and you can step up into the rooms. There is no admission charge. The rooms look out on the garden, where the tea room stands in the southern corner.
Outside, the gable board over the entrance hall is the detail to look for. Stand slightly off-center and the mukuri curve and the hip-and-gable roof behind it separate clearly. Official information says nothing about photography, so check at reception. Opening days, directions and parking are covered on the Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Can you go inside the Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House?
- Yes. The reception rooms are open to visitors, including the anteroom, the tsugi-no-ma, the kami-no-ma and the bath at the back. Entry is free.
- When was the Saisotei Main House in Kurashiki built?
- It is dated to the Tenmei era, 1781 to 1788, in the middle of the Edo period.
- Why is the Yunoki Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 18 October 2000 as a model of form, for the formal sequence of entrance hall, anteroom, study rooms and bath.
- Was the Yunoki Family Residence Main House where the family lived?
- No. Although it is registered as the main house, it is a reception wing for guests. The family's living quarters became a municipal lifelong-learning center and are not registered.
- In which room of the Saisotei Main House did Kumata Ataka die?
- According to Kurashiki City, it was the tsugi-no-ma, the room just beyond the anteroom inside the entrance hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-8-25 Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2000 (registered 18 October 2000) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 106 square meters (single-story timber, hongawara tile roof) |
| Owner | Kurashiki City |
| Public Access | Open (interior viewing, free admission, closed Mondays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001938
- Kurashiki City: Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kosodate/lifelong/1007921/1007922.html
- Kurashiki City: Registered Cultural Properties, Former Yunoki Family Residence (Saisotei) Main House and Others
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/5594.htm
Last verified: 2026.09.25
