Jinpukaku

A Villa Born of an Imperial Visit

In the early years of the twentieth century, the former daimyō family of Tottori, the Ikeda, were preparing to host an extraordinary guest. In 1907, Crown Prince Yoshihito — later Emperor Taishō — was to make a formal tour through the San'in coast, and the 14th family head, Marquis Ikeda Nakahiro, commissioned a new residence grand enough to receive him. The site chosen was the former grounds of the Ōgi-goten, a sub-palace of Tottori Castle that had stood here for generations.

The design was entrusted to Katayama Tōkuma, the leading court architect of Meiji Japan and head of the Imperial Household's construction bureau, who had already drawn the plans for the Akasaka Detached Palace in Tokyo. Construction was supervised by Hashimoto Heizō. Ground was broken in 1906 and the villa was completed in May 1907 at a cost of 43,335 yen — a remarkable sum at the time. Though formally recorded as a second villa for the Ikeda family, the building was in truth conceived from the outset to host members of the imperial family.

The name "Jinpukaku" itself carries a notable pedigree. It was bestowed by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, the naval hero of the Russo-Japanese War, who accompanied the Crown Prince on the tour; a plaque written in his own hand still hangs inside the building.

Why Jinpukaku Is a National Important Cultural Property

Jinpukaku was designated a National Important Cultural Property on June 2, 1973. The reasoning of Japan's cultural authorities is quite specific: Western-style buildings of the Meiji period are comparatively rare in the San'in region, and Jinpukaku stands as one of the very few that has survived with its original design largely intact.

The villa is appreciated as a refined example of a wooden French Renaissance design, distinguished by the careful handling of its decorative gables and by the high quality of preservation of fine details such as window frames, cornices, and interior fittings. It is both a monument to the ambitions of a newly modernizing Japan and a personal connection to the Ikeda family who, even after the fall of the feudal order, continued to play a role in the region's cultural life.

Architectural Highlights

At first sight, Jinpukaku catches the eye with its brilliant white painted walls, its slender octagonal turret on the side, and the deep verandas that wrap the first and second floors. Baroque-inflected ornaments along the roofline give the building a theatrical silhouette, while the glass-enclosed second-floor balcony frames a sweeping view of the garden below.

The best-known feature lies just inside the entrance: a sweeping spiral staircase that rises without any central supporting column. Its curved treads are borne by thick zelkova planks, an engineering solution that was considered remarkable at the time and still feels almost impossible to the modern eye. The tower visible from the outside is the octagonal shell that houses this staircase.

Inside the state rooms, imported wallpapers line the ceilings and upper walls, while the floors are laid with Axminster carpets — touches that give the interiors an atmosphere closer to a European château than to a building in provincial Japan. Visitors during the imperial tour dined in a room fitted out specifically for the Crown Prince, and this space is preserved today.

The Hōryū-in Garden and the Hōsen-an Tea House

From the second-floor balcony, guests look down onto the Hōryū-in Garden (宝隆院庭園), a pond-and-stroll garden designated as a Scenic Spot by the city. The garden was laid out by Ikeda Yoshinori, the 12th lord of Tottori, for the young widow of his predecessor, Lady Hōryū-in. The pond is shaped like a crane, and a small turtle-shaped island floats at its center — an arrangement of classical Japanese symbolism for longevity.

Tucked into one corner of the garden stands Hōsen-an (宝扇庵), a late-Edo-period tea house that is in fact the only original building of Tottori Castle still standing in its original form. It was once the dressing room of the Ōgi-goten, used by the Ikeda family during the feudal era.

Visitor Information: Current Conservation Work

An important note for travelers: Jinpukaku is currently closed for a major long-term preservation project that began in December 2023, with reopening scheduled around fiscal year 2029. From late September 2025, the villa has been enclosed in protective scaffolding and cannot be viewed from the outside either. This is a rare event in the building's history — previous comprehensive restoration took place over three years from 1973.

The good news is that the Hōryū-in Garden and the Hōsen-an tea house within the same grounds remain open to visitors. The surrounding Kyūshō Park, famous as one of the finest cherry blossom spots in the San'in region, can also be enjoyed freely. For those planning a trip after the reopening, the experience of stepping inside the restored villa will be well worth the wait.

Around Jinpukaku

Jinpukaku sits within the ruins of Tottori Castle, the seat of the Ikeda clan who ruled this region for most of the Edo period. The castle's massive stone walls, repaired and partially rebuilt as the site continues to be studied, make for a rewarding walk in themselves. Mount Kyūshō rises directly behind the villa, and a hiking trail leads to the mountaintop ruins and panoramic views over Tottori City and the Sea of Japan. The adjacent Tottori Prefectural Museum offers deeper context on the natural and cultural history of the region.

Film enthusiasts may also recognize Jinpukaku from the screen. It stood in as the Imperial Palace in the 1989 film Maihime: Die Tanzerin, and more famously served as the Meiji-era mansion of Takeda Kanryū in the 2012 live-action film Rurouni Kenshin.

Within easy reach of the site are the sweeping Tottori Sand Dunes, the Uradome Coast with its dramatic rock formations, and the hot spring town of Iwai Onsen — making Jinpukaku a natural first stop on a broader San'in journey.