What Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei Is
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei (有藇亭, Yūyotei) is a guest wing of 1908 in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties in 2000. It was built to mark the sixtieth birthday of Nozaki Bukichiro.
It stands southwest of Chooken, the tearoom south of the main house pantry, reached along a veranda of adzed chestnut. Within a plan of 5.5 bays by 4 are rooms of 6, 8 and 10 mats and a lavatory, covering 82 square metres. Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei was conceived as a place to stay on after tea.
The roof is hipped and gabled and thatched with reed, with tile and copper used in places. Against the crisp tiled roofs of the main range, this one building was made to look like a country house.
Why It Is Registered
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei was registered in 2000 with the number 33-0035, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, as one building in the Taikado group.
Its value lies in a roughness that was entirely deliberate. The reed-thatched roof and the chestnut veranda finished with an adze look unrefined, yet selecting and working such materials costs more, not less. Borrowing the appearance of a farmhouse for a wealthy household's garden building belongs to the modern sukiya tradition, and the date of 1908 makes the example a useful one.
The occasion explains the character of the place. This was not built for official entertaining but as somewhere the owner and his guests could sit for a long while.
What to Look For
The chestnut veranda leading to Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei is the first thing worth attention. Adzing leaves the marks of the blade in the surface, and the unevenness carries through the soles of the feet. Stepping from the smooth veranda of the main house onto this one, the change in register is immediate.
Look up at the roof from below to gauge the depth of the thatch. The cut ends stack in layers along the eaves, and the junction with the tiled and copper sections is clearly drawn.
Inside are three rooms of 6, 8 and 10 mats. As sukiya work tends to, each is dimensioned differently, so ceiling heights and openings shift slightly as one moves through.
Visiting
The interior of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei is not open. Even for visitors admitted during the Kojima Hinameguri festival, the display centres on the great hall of the main house, and access to this wing is not guaranteed.
From the garden side, the thing to study is how the reed roof meets the adzed chestnut veranda. The extent of the opening varies year by year, so anyone hoping to go inside should check in advance with the Kojima branch office of Kurashiki City or the former Nozaki Residence museum. Follow the photography notices on the day. Directions 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 Yuyotei
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- How is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei read?
- Yūyotei. It is the guest wing built in 1908 for the sixtieth birthday of Nozaki Bukichiro.
- What is the roof of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei made of?
- Reed thatch over a hipped and gabled frame, with tile and copper in places.
- What rooms does Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei contain?
- Rooms of 6, 8 and 10 mats and a lavatory, within a plan of 5.5 bays by 4 covering 82 square metres.
- How is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei reached from the main house?
- Along a veranda of adzed chestnut running southwest from Chooken, the tearoom south of the pantry.
- Is the interior of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei open to visitors?
- No. Access is not offered even on most open days, so check in advance if you hope to see inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei |
|---|---|
| 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 82 m2, 5.5 bays by 4 |
| Owner | Naikai Salt Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened during the Kojima Hinameguri festival |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Yuyotei (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001633
- 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
