The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms
The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms (小泉家住宅小洋館及び丁稚部屋, Koizumi-ke Jūtaku Shō-yōkan oyobi Detchi-beya) is a single-storey timber wing of about 1909 behind the main house of the Koizumi estate in Gokasho Yamamoto-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture; extended in the early Showa years and in about 1938, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.
The building is long and narrow, running east to west over 60 square meters. The east end, nearest the main house, is the small Western room; across a corridor to the west are the detchi rooms, six and seven-and-a-half mats, and the far west end is a later addition.
The period field in the Agency database reads Taisho, but its date field gives about 1909; this article follows the date field.
Why This Wing Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms as a record of how the household's facilities grew over time. What makes it memorable is the company it keeps: a Western-style room for the family and quarters for live-in apprentices under one roof.
Detchi were boys taken into a merchant house to work and learn the trade while living with the family. Their rooms survive here right behind the main house.
What to Look For in the Small Western Wing
The most surprising fact about the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms is where the Western room came from. According to the Agency, it was made by cleverly converting the main house's upper privy, the better of the household's toilets, into a Western-style room.
The roof records the building's growth. A hipped-and-gabled section sits in the middle, and ridges run out from it to east and west, each extension joined onto the last.
Seeing the Small Western Wing
The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms lies behind the main house, inside the grounds, and cannot readily be seen from the road. It is not open. Visiting notes are on the Koizumi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms built?
- The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms dates from about 1909, with extensions in the early Showa period and in about 1938.
- When was the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms registered?
- The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 4, 2015 (registration number 25-0363).
- What was the small Western room of the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms originally?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was converted from the main house's upper privy.
- What are the apprentices' rooms in the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms?
- Two rooms of six and seven-and-a-half tatami mats, west of the corridor, used by live-in apprentices (detchi).
- Can I visit the Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms?
- No. The Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms is inside private grounds and not open. We found no public-opening notice as of September 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Koizumi Family Residence Small Western Wing and Apprentices' Rooms |
|---|---|
| Location | 270 Gokasho Yamamoto-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 4, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 60 square meters |
| Owner | Koizumi Shoten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private property; no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 小泉家住宅小洋館及び丁稚部屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010629
Last verified: 2026.09.27
