What Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed Is
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed is a timber building of 1896 in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties in 2000. Its Japanese name, kurumayose, usually means a carriage porch, but this structure is a garage for rickshaws.
It stands on the east side of the front garden facing the formal entrance of the main house, on the left as you come through the main gate. The plan is 3 bays by 2, and the west side is left open with no wall, so that up to four rickshaws could be run in and out. The open side of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed follows directly from that daily movement.
The roof is tiled and the building covers 11 square metres. A guest came through the gate, stepped down from the rickshaw and walked to the entrance; this shed marks the start of that short passage.
Why It Is Registered
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed was registered in 2000 with the number 33-0039, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, as one building within the Taikado group.
It is small, but it documents a great deal. What receiving guests meant in a provincial town of the Meiji period survives here as a capacity: four rickshaws. Not carriages, not cars, which tells you how people actually moved around Kojima at the time.
From the household's point of view this was an outbuilding, not a place to spend design effort. Its inclusion in the listing reflects the fact that the estate did not work as a reception ground through the main house alone.
What to Look For
The open west side of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed is the first thing to notice. With no wall, the eaves throw a deep shadow and the weight of the tiled roof is visibly gathered into the posts.
Count the bays as well. Three by two is the proportion needed to line rickshaws up side by side, a case of use setting dimensions rather than the other way round.
The rickshaw pullers' room adjoins on the north. The place where the vehicles were kept and the place where their drivers waited run together, and looking at the two as a pair gives a sense of how the waiting hours passed.
Visiting
Because Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed faces the inner front garden, a close view is possible only during the Kojima Hinameguri festival. While the gate is shut, no more than an outline shows through the opening.
The interior cannot be entered, but since the west side is open, visitors on an open day can look up into the roof frame from the garden. Follow the photography notices posted on the day. Directions to the estate and the current opening dates are on the Nozaki Family Villa Taikado page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- What was Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed used for?
- Storing rickshaws. The west side is open and the shed held up to four of them.
- How big is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed?
- Three bays by two, covering 11 square metres, under a tiled roof.
- Where does Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed stand?
- On the east side of the front garden facing the main house entrance, to the left of the main gate, joined on the north to the rickshaw pullers' room.
- When was Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed built?
- In 1896, at the same time as the main house and the main gate of the Taikado estate.
- What is the registration number of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed?
- 33-0039. It was entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 28 April 2000.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-8-34 Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 11 m2, 3 bays by 2 |
| Owner | Naikai Salt Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened during the Kojima Hinameguri festival |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Rickshaw Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001637
- Nozaki Family Villa Taikado, Main House and Twelve Other Structures (Kurashiki City)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/culture/art/1007596/1007597/1011206/1007792/1007796.html
- Kojima Hinameguri (Kurashiki City, Kojima Branch Office)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/culture/tourism/1001881/1011764/1008061/1011533.html
Last verified: 2026.09.13
