Chigusa-sha, the smallest registered building on the estate
Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House is a single-storey timber tea room of the early Showa years, built after 1926, at 40 Higashi-Shinmachi in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, and entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on May 7, 1997. It carries a name of its own, Chigusa-sha, which none of the other seven registered buildings here does.
Eleven square meters. That figure is worth pausing on, because it is the entire footprint. Set the tea house beside the 211 square meters of the main house at the front of the plot and the difference stops being arithmetic and becomes a statement about what a small room was for.
It stands at the western edge of the grounds, positioned to look out over the inner garden. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri, hipped below and gabled above, which is a formal shape for a building this size and signals that the room was meant to be taken seriously.
The roofing material is the surprise. Not tile, not bark, not thatch, but slate. A head of the Kajimura household with a serious interest in tea had this Chashitsu made in a corner of the garden during the first years of Showa, and chose an industrial covering for a classical roof form. The estate had made its money in the modern economy, and the tea house does not pretend otherwise.
Why a room this small was registered
Register number 33-0012 belongs to the Joto Mukashi Machiya Tea House. Like six of its neighbours it was placed on the list as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property under the criterion that it is a model of its kind in form and design; the registration took effect on May 7, 1997 and was announced on May 29.
Size had nothing to do with the decision. The national database praises the building as high quality work in carefully selected materials, small though the scale is, and notes that its technique repays attention. Tea architecture is judged this way. A tea room is graded on the choice of a single post, the proportion of an opening, the way a ceiling is boarded.
There is a second reason the entry matters. Merchant tea rooms of the early twentieth century have mostly gone, because they were private, tiny and easy to remove when a family sold up or rebuilt. This one survived because the whole compound stayed intact and eventually passed to Tsuyama City. Its neighbourhood, the old highway quarter of Joto, was selected as a Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2013.
What to look at
Take the garden first, since the Joto Mukashi Machiya Tea House was sited to face it. The pond garden was laid out in the same early Showa period, with heavy stones worked into a dry waterfall at the southwest corner and water brought to it through the newly installed mains supply. The tea house and the garden were conceived together.
Then the roof line. Slate on an irimoya profile produces thinner edges and sharper shadows than tile would, and the eaves consequently look lighter than the form leads you to expect.
Inside, look at the timber rather than the plan. The interest is in grain, in the finish of a post, in what has been left unpainted.
Finally, consider the distance. The tea house sits as far from the street front as the plot allows, screened by the reception hall and the storehouses. Walking out to it is part of what the building is doing.
Visiting
Access is suspended. The owner, Tsuyama City, closed the Kajimura compound on June 1 in 2025 so that renovation work could begin, and the stated intention is to reopen it around November 2026 with part of the site serving as accommodation. Whether the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House will be shown at all after that has not been announced. The number for enquiries is 0868-22-5791.
Until the closure the compound was free to enter and open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., admitting visitors until 4:30 p.m., with Tuesdays off, the following day taken instead when a Tuesday was a public holiday, and a New Year break from December 29 to January 3.
Travel is easy enough: about 25 minutes on foot east from JR Tsuyama Station, or roughly 10 minutes by car from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway, leaving the car in the Joto district visitor car park. Nothing of the tea house is visible from the road, since it lies at the far end of the plot.
No photography policy has been published for the reopened compound. Small interiors are often restricted for practical reasons, so ask before raising a camera.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House
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Q&A
- Can I see the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House?
- Not for now. The compound closed for renovation work in 2025 and a reopening is announced for 2026. The tea house is at the back of the plot and cannot be seen from the street.
- Does the Joto Mukashi Machiya Tea House have its own name?
- Yes. It is called Chigusa-sha. A head of the Kajimura family with a serious interest in tea had it built in a corner of the garden during the early Showa years, after 1926.
- How big is the Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House?
- Its floor area is 11 square meters, the smallest of the eight registered buildings on the estate. It is a single-storey timber structure with a slate roof.
- Why is the Joto Mukashi Machiya Tea House on the national register?
- It was registered on May 7, 1997 under register number 33-0012 as a model of its kind in form and design, the national database citing its selected materials and the quality of its technique.
- How do I reach the Joto Mukashi Machiya Tea House from Tsuyama Station?
- Walk east for about 25 minutes, or drive roughly 10 minutes from the Tsuyama interchange on the Chugoku Expressway and park at the Joto district visitor car park.
Basic Information
| Name | Joto Mukashi Machiya (Former Kajimura Family Residence) Tea House |
|---|---|
| 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, slate roof, floor area 11 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) Tea House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000166
- 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