What Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten Is
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten (清恬, Seiten) is a teahouse of 1908 in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties in 2000. Like Yuyotei, it was built to mark the sixtieth birthday of Nozaki Bukichiro.
It occupies a corner in the eastern part of the garden that opens south of the great hall, close to the east wall along the Oda River. Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten is small and reed-thatched, and from most of the garden only its roof shows between the trees.
Inside is a tearoom of three mats plus a daime mat with a centre board. The building covers 16 square metres, placing it among the smallest structures on the Taikado estate.
Why It Is Registered
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten was registered in 2000 with the number 33-0038, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, as one building in the Taikado group.
The point of this teahouse is its roji, the garden path. The setting was worked out around an approach from the east gate in the east wall, so the building was designed together with the route to it. Guests could reach the tearoom without passing through the main house at all.
The plan is worth noting too. Three mats with a daime mat and a centre board is a small-room format, a way of ordering the relation between the host's place and the guests' places where floor area is tight.
What to Look For
Approaching Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten, look down first. The stepping stones set the length of each pace and decide in advance where a visitor pauses and where they look up at the roof.
The reed roof is modest in size but deep in the eaves. Against the greenery its outline stays soft, the opposite of the tiled roofs on the main range.
The nearness of the east wall matters as well. Just beyond it runs the Oda River, and something of the riverside lane carries over. Of all the buildings in the garden, the teahouse sits closest to the outside world.
Visiting
The interior of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten is not open. It lies at the far end of the garden, so even visitors admitted during the Kojima Hinameguri festival may not be able to reach it.
How far the route extends depends on the arrangements for the year, and the teahouse is sometimes opened for tea gatherings. Check dates 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 Seiten
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- How is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten read?
- Seiten. It is the teahouse built in 1908 for the sixtieth birthday of Nozaki Bukichiro.
- How large is the tearoom in Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten?
- Three mats with a daime mat and a centre board. The building covers 16 square metres under a reed-thatched roof.
- Where does Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten stand?
- In the eastern part of the garden south of the great hall, near the east wall that runs along the Oda River.
- How did guests reach Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten?
- Along a roji laid out for an approach from the east gate in the east wall, a route that bypasses the main house.
- What is the registration number of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten?
- 33-0038. It was entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 28 April 2000.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten |
|---|---|
| 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 16 m2 |
| Owner | Naikai Salt Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened during the Kojima Hinameguri festival |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Seiten (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001636
- 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
