The Western Annex Where Yoshikawa Eiji Kept His Study
Behind the tatami rooms of Sōshidō stands a small single-story building that looks deliberately unlike the old farmhouse beside it. Raised in the late Meiji period, between about 1898 and 1912, this Western-style annex became the room into which Yoshikawa Eiji withdrew to read and to write. It covers roughly 50 square meters under a hipped, pantiled roof, with carved brackets running beneath the eaves.
The annex sits at the rear of the residence, a short walk from the linked rooms of the main house. Visitors used to a single architectural language across a property often pause here, because the farmhouse and this trim Western volume were brought together on one plot and somehow agree.
Why the Annex Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the annex as a tangible cultural property on 27 February 2023, under registration number 13-0480 and the criterion for buildings that stand as a model of design. It was listed together with the main house, the gate, and the storehouse as the Former Residence of Yoshikawa Eiji (Sōshidō).
What lifts the annex above an ordinary outbuilding is the care taken in assembling it. Building materials were gathered from several regions: the terrace at the front is laid with Seto Hongyō tile, while the foundation uses Ōya stone quarried in Tochigi. The result is a modest building put together with an eye for where each part came from, the kind of choice that rewards a close look rather than a glance from the path.
What to Look for Inside
The study sits at the heart of the annex. Tall sash windows let light fall across the desk, and one wall holds an alcove shaped like a tokonoma, a Japanese element carried into a Western room. A board-floored room and a small storeroom open off it, the practical extensions of a working writer's space.
Step out to the front and the tiled terrace gives a clear view back toward the garden. This was the room Yoshikawa chose when he wanted distance from the household and the callers waiting in the main house. Standing inside it, you sense how deliberately a novelist arranged the place where the actual writing happened.
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Q&A
- What was the annex used for?
- Yoshikawa Eiji used a room in this Western-style annex as his study, a quiet space set apart from the main house during the years he lived at Sōshidō.
- Why does it look so different from the farmhouse?
- It was built later, in the late Meiji period, in a Western idiom, with a hipped pantiled roof, bracketed eaves, and a front terrace laid in Seto Hongyō tile.
- What materials were used?
- Parts came from different regions, including Seto tile for the terrace and Ōya stone for the foundation, giving the small building an unusually varied makeup.
- Can I see the study?
- The annex is part of the Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum. Access to specific rooms can vary, so it is worth checking current viewing arrangements before a visit.
- How do I get there?
- It is about a 15-minute walk from Futamatao Station on the JR Ome Line, or a short walk from the Yuzuki bus stop served by Toei buses from Ome Station.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Residence of Yoshikawa Eiji (Sōshidō), Western Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 101-1 Yuzuki-machi 1-chome, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registration no. 13-0480 |
| Registered | 27 February 2023 (criterion: model of design) |
| Period | Late Meiji period (circa 1898-1912) |
| Structure | Timber, single story, tiled roof; building area about 50 m² |
| Count | 1 building |
| Owner | Ome City |
| Access | About 15 min on foot from Futamatao Station (JR Ome Line); or Toei bus to Yuzuki stop from Ome Station |
| Open to the public | Part of the Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum (closed Mondays; confirm room access in advance) |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs), Western Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014464
- Ome City Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum, official site
- https://ome-yoshikawaeiji.net/
- Ome City official website, Yoshikawa Eiji Memorial Museum
- https://www.city.ome.tokyo.jp/site/provincial-history-museum/24522.html
Last verified: 2026.06.25