What Is the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room?
The Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room (角家住宅離れ客間, Sumi-ke Jūtaku Hanare Kyakuma) is a single-story guest wing built around 1906 in Nishiarashima-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. It is a timber building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 54 square meters.
A covered passage links it to the southwest corner of the main house, but it was built as a separate wing for receiving guests. Registered as number 32-0016 under the same "model of form" criterion as the main house, the detached guest room is described by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as a good example of a detached wing that combines a tea room with a reception room.
Mizuya, Tea Room and Reception Room under One Roof
The Agency lists three spaces inside the Sumi guest room: a Mizuya preparation area, a Chashitsu tea room, and a reception room, or kyakuma. Preparing tea, serving it and entertaining afterwards could all take place within this one wing.
Engawa verandas run along the north and east sides, and on the north there is a separate entrance of its own. Although the wing is joined to the main house by the passage, guests could come and go through their own door without passing through the family's living quarters. The arrangement keeps everyday life and hospitality on separate routes.
A Roof Raised over the Best Rooms
The guest room has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles. Over the tea room and reception room, the roof is lifted one step higher than over the rest of the wing, so the change in roof height marks out the rooms that mattered most.
Set beside the massive hipped-and-gabled roof of the main house, the gabled roof of the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room is lighter and plainer, a restrained companion to the imposing farmhouse.
Visiting the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room
There is no announcement that the tea room or reception room of the Sumi guest wing is open to visitors. Treat it as part of a private home, and contact the Culture Division of the Yasugi City Board of Education in advance if you hope to visit or take photographs.
The detached guest room sits off the southwest corner of the main house, toward the back of the plot, and it is not known whether it can be seen from outside. Directions and general visiting conditions are covered on the Sumi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I see the tea room in the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room?
- No public opening is announced. Contact the Culture Division of the Yasugi City Board of Education in advance if you wish to visit or photograph it.
- When was the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room built?
- Around 1906, about the same time as the main house.
- What rooms are in the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room?
- A mizuya preparation area, a tea room and a reception room, with verandas on the north and east sides and a separate entrance on the north.
- Is the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room connected to the main house?
- Yes. A covered passage joins it to the southwest corner of the main house.
- What is special about the roof of the Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room?
- It is a gabled roof of pantiles, raised one step higher over the tea room and reception room than over the rest of the wing.
Basic Information
| Name | Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room (角家住宅離れ客間) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2172 Shimohishiro, Nishiarashimacho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2003 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 54 m² (timber, single story, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the national database) |
| Public Access | No public opening announced |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003693
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sumi Family Residence Detached Guest Room
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/183603
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
- Yasugi City: Cultural Properties of Yasugi (contact: Board of Education Culture Division)
- https://www.city.yasugi.shimane.jp/kurashi/bunka/bunkazai/sibunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.10.15
