What Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal Is
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal is a stone structure in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, dated by the national cultural properties database of the Agency for Cultural Affairs to 1896. It was entered on the register of tangible cultural properties in 2000.
It stands east of the great hall of the main house, close to the east wall. What it carries is a bust of Nozaki Bukichiro, and Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal exists for no other purpose than to hold that portrait.
The whole is granite. Two stepped platforms support a cubic base stone, and on that sits a square shaft with a gentle taper. The height is about 2 metres. It is said to have been raised by students who had received scholarship support from the Nozaki family.
Why It Is Registered
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal was registered in 2000 with the number 33-0045, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, as a structure within the Taikado group.
That something which is not a building appears on the list says a good deal about this group. Treating gates, walls and a pedestal as part of the same entity keeps the outline of the estate as a place, rather than a set of roofs.
The attribution to former scholarship students also makes the pedestal a monument of a particular kind. Men who had been helped through their studies set up the likeness of their benefactor in his own garden, a trace of how a salt-field fortune circulated back into the district.
What to Look For
Follow the profile of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal from the ground up. Two platforms, a cubic base, then a shaft narrowing as it rises: each stage is smaller in section than the one below, an assembly designed to lift the bust into view.
The taper is slight. Only a little inclination is given, so from directly in front the shaft reads as vertical, while an oblique view shows the narrowing clearly.
Because granite is used throughout, colour and texture run continuously from platform to shaft. Set against the greenery of the garden, the composition is a single pale grey column.
Visiting
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal stands within the garden and is not visible from the street. It can be approached only by visitors admitted during the Kojima Hinameguri festival.
As an outdoor structure it has no interior; a visit means reading its profile from the front and from an angle. How much of the garden is opened varies by year, so check in advance with the Kojima branch office of Kurashiki City or the former Nozaki Residence museum. Follow the photography notices posted 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 Bust Pedestal
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Whose bust stands on Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal?
- That of Nozaki Bukichiro. It stands east of the great hall of the main house, near the east wall.
- How tall is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal?
- About 2 metres. It is granite throughout, with two stepped platforms, a cubic base stone and a tapering square shaft.
- Who erected Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal?
- It is said to have been raised by former recipients of Nozaki family scholarships, as recorded in the national cultural properties database.
- Can Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal be seen from the road?
- No. It stands inside the garden, so entry on an open day is required.
- What is the registration number of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal?
- 33-0045. It was entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 28 April 2000.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-8-34 Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | About 2 m high |
| Owner | Naikai Salt Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened during the Kojima Hinameguri festival |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Bust Pedestal (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001643
- 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
