Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Shiga

Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing

Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing: An 1860s Reception Wing

The Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing is a reception wing of about 1866, moved in 1907, with an eight-mat room, tokonoma, flat shoin and a room by a storehouse.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Shiga

The Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing

The Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing (小泉家住宅座敷棟, Koizumi-ke Jūtaku Zashiki-tō) is a single-storey timber reception wing of about 1866 on the Koizumi estate in Gokasho Yamamoto-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture; it was moved here in 1907 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.

A zashiki is a formal tatami room for receiving guests. This wing joins the southeast corner of the main house and covers 68 square meters under an east-west gabled roof of pantiles, with eaves on three sides. It was altered during the Taisho era (1912 to 1926).

Why the Zashiki Wing Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing as a plainly built reception space that, together with the main house, forms the heart of the estate.

From west to east it holds a six-mat room, an eight-mat room with a tokonoma alcove and a flat shoin window, and a small room called the kuramae facing the Tatsumi storehouse, with verandas along both long sides. Family life stayed in the main house; guests were received here; the storehouse sat just beyond.

What to Look For in the Zashiki Wing

The eight-mat room is the center of the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing. Its shoin is the flat type, a paper-screened opening set into the wall rather than a desk-like bay projecting outward, which keeps the room restrained.

The kuramae, literally "in front of the storehouse," is where the Tatsumi storehouse opens its door. Scrolls and tableware for guests could be brought out of the storehouse and into the eight-mat room within a few steps.

Seeing the Koizumi Zashiki Wing

The Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing stands inside the compound, between the main house and the Tatsumi storehouse, so it is hardly visible from the road, and the interior is not open. Visiting notes for the estate are on the Koizumi Family Residence page.

Q&A

QWhen was the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing built?: AThe Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing dates from about 1866. It was moved to the site in 1907 and altered in the Taisho era.

QWhen was the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing registered?: AThe Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 4, 2015 (registration number 25-0361).

QWhat rooms are in the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing?: AA six-mat room, an eight-mat room with tokonoma and flat shoin, and a small kuramae room facing the Tatsumi storehouse, with verandas on both sides.

QWhat is the kuramae in the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing?: AIt is the small room between the reception rooms and the Tatsumi storehouse; the storehouse door opens into it.

QCan I visit the Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing?: ANo. The Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing stands inside private grounds and is not open. We found no public-opening notice as of September 2026.

Basic Information

Name	Koizumi Family Residence Zashiki Wing
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 68 square meters
Owner	Koizumi Shoten Co., Ltd.
Public Access	Not open to the public (private property; no entry to the grounds)