The Sukiya House of a Publisher-Poet
The Gengi Sanbo (Former Kadokawa Family Residence Main House) (幻戯山房（旧角川家住宅主屋）) is a modern sukiya-style house of 1955 in Ogikubo, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber house of two storeys with a single-storey part and a tiled roof, covering 196 square metres, altered in 1973 and 2008; registration number 13-0254.
The Home of Kadokawa Gen'yoshi
Suginami City says Gengi Sanbo was the home of Kadokawa Gen'yoshi, haiku poet and founder of the publisher Kadokawa Shoten; his family gave it to the city, which restored it. Built in 1955, it was partly extended and altered in 1973.
The house runs along the north edge of the site, two storeys with a single-storey part, under an east-west hip-and-gable tiled roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs). By leaving out the corner posts at the openings and making every main door and window slide away into the wall, it achieves an open interior and a delicate exterior.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design, a fine example of modern sukiya architecture.
What to Look For
Notice the openings without corner posts and how the rooms open up when the sliding doors are drawn away (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
Suginami City opens it as the Kadokawa Garden and Gengi Sanbo (Suginami Poetry House). It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays and from December 29 to January 1, and entry to the garden, exhibition room and vacant rooms is free; it is 15 minutes' walk from the south exit of Ogikubo Station on the JR Chuo Line. The garden is due to close on weekdays from January 12 to February 5, 2027, for repairs.
Q&A
- When was Gengi Sanbo built?
- In 1955 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Suginami City).
- Whose home was Gengi Sanbo?
- Kadokawa Gen'yoshi, haiku poet and founder of Kadokawa Shoten.
- Can I visit Gengi Sanbo?
- Yes, free of charge as the Suginami Poetry House; closed on Wednesdays.
- What is special about the architecture?
- An open modern sukiya house with no corner posts at the openings.
- When was the Gengi Sanbo (Former Kadokawa Family Residence Main House) registered?
- On November 2, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Gengi Sanbo (Former Kadokawa Family Residence Main House) (幻戯山房（旧角川家住宅主屋）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-728 Ogikubo, Suginami Ward, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/11/02 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, two storeys with single-storey part, tiled roof, 196 m² |
| Owner | Suginami City |
| Public Access | Suginami Poetry House (9:00 to 17:00, closed Wednesdays, free) |
References
- Gengi Sanbo (Former Kadokawa Family Residence Main House) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007883
- Kadokawa Garden and Gengi Sanbo (Suginami City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.suginami.tokyo.jp/shisetsu/bunka/shiika/1007022.html
- Temporary closure of Kadokawa Garden for repairs (Suginami City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.suginami.tokyo.jp/s100/news/27281.html
Last verified: 2026.10.16