The service wing behind the shop front
Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building is a single-storey timber structure of the early Meiji era, which began in 1868, at 40 Higashi-Shinmachi in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on May 7, 1997. It was built to hold the household's privies and other conveniences.
The national database is blunt about the function, and there is no reason to dress it up. This is where a large merchant household did the unglamorous business of daily life, and it is registered precisely because buildings of that sort almost never survive.
Its shape follows from where it had to go. Attached to the rear of the main house, it runs as a long narrow strip along the boundary with the neighbouring plot, projecting backwards from the main block as one continuous piece of construction rather than as a later addition. Just 25 square meters, roofed in tile, with none of the finish lavished on the reception rooms.
Age is worth noting here. Of the eight registered buildings on the estate this is the second oldest, later than the late Edo main house in front of it but earlier than everything built in the twentieth century.
Registered as difficult to reproduce
Two of the eight Kajimura entries carry the criterion that the building would be difficult to reproduce: the main house, and this one. The Joto Mukashi Machiya Ancillary Building holds register number 33-0007 and became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 7, 1997, the notice appearing on May 29 of that year.
The reasoning turns on evidence rather than beauty. Sanitary and service arrangements in a Machiya were rebuilt constantly, torn out when plumbing arrived, and replaced without record. A surviving example from the years when the Edo period was giving way to Meiji tells you how the living space of a townhouse actually worked, which drawings and photographs of principal rooms cannot.
The database says as much: the building is described as simple in construction but significant for understanding the domestic space of a machiya across that transition. Its neighbourhood, the old highway quarter of Joto east of the Tsuyama Castle site, was selected as a Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2013, and part of what such districts are meant to hold onto is exactly this kind of ordinary fabric.
What to look at
Look at the join first. The Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building is not a separate object set down in the yard; it grows out of the back of the main house, and the carpentry where the two meet was worked as a single piece. Following that line tells you the sequence in which the plot was built up.
Then look at the proportion. Long, thin, one storey, pressed against a property line: the form is entirely determined by the land available, and there is a certain honesty in that.
Notice how little decoration there is. No carved transoms here, no selected timber, no glazing. After the reception hall and the tea house the change in register is abrupt, and the contrast is more instructive than either building on its own.
Look up at the roof too. Tile over a plain rafter run, kept low so it tucks under the eaves of the larger structures around it.
Visiting
No visit is possible for the time being. Tsuyama City, which owns the estate, closed the compound on June 1 in 2025 for renovation work, with a reopening announced for around November 2026 and part of the property to be used as accommodation. The city has not said which buildings will be shown afterwards. Enquiries: 0868-22-5791.
The arrangements that applied until the closure were free admission, opening from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m., a Tuesday closing day that moved to the Wednesday when a public holiday fell on the Tuesday, and a break from December 29 to January 3.
To get there, walk east from JR Tsuyama Station for about 25 minutes, or drive from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway in roughly 10 minutes and use the Joto district visitor car park. The ancillary building stands behind the main house and along a boundary, so there is no line of sight to it from the public road.
Rules on photography inside the compound after the reopening have not been published, so treat the question as open and ask on arrival.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building
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Q&A
- What is the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building?
- A single-storey service wing of the early Meiji era holding the household's privies and other conveniences. It runs as a narrow strip along the plot boundary behind the main house and covers 25 square meters.
- Can I visit the Joto Mukashi Machiya Ancillary Building now?
- No. The compound has been closed for renovation work since 2025, with a reopening announced for 2026. The building is not visible from the street.
- Why is the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building registered?
- It was registered on May 7, 1997 under register number 33-0007 as a building difficult to reproduce. Service wings of this date were almost always rebuilt or removed, so a surviving one documents how a townhouse was actually lived in.
- How old is the Joto Mukashi Machiya Ancillary Building compared with the rest of the estate?
- It is the second oldest of the eight registered buildings, later than the late Edo main house but earlier than the reception hall, storehouses, western building and tea house, all of which are twentieth century work.
- How do I reach the Joto Mukashi Machiya Ancillary Building?
- The estate lies about 25 minutes east on foot from JR Tsuyama Station, or roughly 10 minutes by car from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway, with parking at the Joto district visitor car park.
Basic Information
| Name | Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 40 Higashi-Shinmachi, Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on May 7, 1997 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, floor area 25 square meters |
| Owner | Tsuyama City |
| Public Access | Closed for renovation work (since 2025); reopening planned in 2026 |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Ancillary Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000161
- Tsuyama Machijuu Museum, Digital Experience Guide: Old Machiya Townhouse of Joto
- https://tsuyama-machijuu.jp/en/guide/joto-mukashi/
- Okayama Kanko Web: Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_10509.html
Last verified: 2026.09.09