Kamamura Family Residence Toilet

What the Toilet Block Is

The Kamamura Family Residence Toilet (鎌村家住宅便所) is a small single-storey timber privy building from the mid-Meiji period in Boso, Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, entered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2007.

It stands west of the main house and just south of the storehouse. The building runs east to west and measures 11 by 6 shaku, a building area of 6.0 square meters, under a gable roof of hongawara tile.

Why It Was Registered

The toilet block was listed with the rest of the homestead as a structure contributing to the historic landscape. Its registration number is 36-0065.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes two stalls for defecation, each 4 shaku wide, counted from the east, and a western end that probably served as a urinal. Two stalls plus a separate urinal suggest a household that had to accommodate servants and guests as well as the family.

The doors are all on the north side. On the south, an opening at the bottom of the wall served as the hatch for emptying the pits. In rural Japan the contents were carried back to the fields as fertilizer, and the Kamamura Family Residence Toilet keeps that farm cycle visible in its layout.

What to Look For

Look at both long sides. The north face is for users, with its row of doors; the south face has the low collection hatch. Separating the two functions onto opposite sides is simple and practical.

The roof matches the hongawara tile of the main house and storehouse, so even this modest building keeps pace with the rest of the compound.

The storehouse looms just to the north and the West Earthen Wall runs off to the west. Tucked between them, the toilet block helps close off the western corner of the homestead.

Visiting

The toilet block is an outbuilding of a private home, and visits must be arranged with the owner in advance. Even with permission, you will mainly be seeing it from outside.

The north doors face the storehouse, and the south hatch faces the southern part of the compound. Ask about photography when you arrange your visit.