Fukuda Family Residence Bath and Privy (Fukudake Jūtaku Furo Oyobi Benjo)
East of the main house and south of the barn on the Fukuda farmstead in the Samoto district of Susami stands a building given over entirely to bathing and the toilet. It was raised in 1912, at the very start of the Taishō era, as part of a planned compound along the old Koza Kaidō. A separate structure for these everyday functions is not the kind of thing that usually survives, which is part of what makes it worth attention.
The building measures about 4.7 by 4.5 meters. Its plan divides cleanly: five privies are ranged along the southern side, while the bath and a changing space occupy the north. The walls combine boarding with an ochre clay finish, a plain and practical treatment suited to a service building. Modest as it is, the structure records how a large rural household organized the most ordinary parts of daily life.
Why It Is Registered
The Fukuda estate was entered in the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties in February 2012, valued as a complete compound whose buildings span the late Edo period through the Taishō era and survive in their planned positions. The bath-and-privy building was registered under the same criterion as the rest, for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.
Buildings like this are rarely kept. A gate or a guest room is treasured and maintained, while a bath-and-privy block is usually rebuilt or removed as plumbing changes. That this one remains, in its original place and with its original division of functions, lets the estate be read as a full working household rather than only its showpieces. The five privies in particular point to a large family and its dependents.
What to Look For
Read the plan as a record of daily routine. The clear split between five privies on the south and the bath with its changing area on the north shows a deliberate ordering of these functions within one small footprint. The walls are the other thing to register: boarding paired with an ochre clay finish, chosen for durability and ease of repair rather than for show.
Set against the gates and the detached room, this building rounds out the picture of the Fukuda compound, the working counterpart to its formal spaces. The estate is not generally open to the public, so it is seen during the occasional viewings arranged through the Susami Town History and Folklore Museum, which is the place to ask about access and related exhibitions.
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Q&A
- Why is a bath-and-privy building considered significant?
- Because such everyday service buildings are seldom preserved. This one survives in its original place with its original layout, which helps the estate be understood as a complete working household.
- When was it built?
- In 1912, at the start of the Taishō period, slightly after the main gate of around 1909.
- How is it laid out?
- In a footprint of about 4.7 by 4.5 meters, with five privies along the south side and the bath and a changing space on the north.
- What are the walls made of?
- Boarding combined with an ochre clay finish, a plain and practical treatment suited to a service building.
- Can I visit?
- The estate is privately held and not regularly open. Viewings have been arranged through the Susami Town History and Folklore Museum, so inquire there before planning a visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukuda Family Residence Bath and Privy (Fukudake Jūtaku Furo Oyobi Benjo) |
|---|---|
| Location | 115 Samoto Higashi-kurigaito, Susami Town, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registered 23 February 2012 |
| Date | 1912 (start of Taishō) |
| Count and size | 1 building; approx. 4.7 by 4.5 m; east of the main house, south of the barn |
| Structure | Wood; five privies on the south, bath and changing space on the north; boarded and ochre-clay walls |
| Owner | Private (Fukuda family) |
| Access | Not regularly open; occasional viewings via the Susami Town History and Folklore Museum |
References
- National Database of Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fukuda Family Residence Bath and Privy
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009213
- Kii Minpō (AGARA): Town residents tour the Fukuda Family Residence in Samoto, Susami
- https://www.agara.co.jp/article/420041
Last verified: 2026.06.25