The Middle of Three Garden Rooms
The Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex (旧堀田古城園南離れ, Kyū-Hotta Kojōen Minami-hanare) is a detached single-storey timber guest room built in 1933 in Ote, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
It stands in the middle of the three small buildings lined up along the east edge of the former restaurant grounds, behind the main house, with the north annex on one side and the tea house on the other. Inside is essentially a single Zashiki of about six Tatami mats; the footprint is 24 square metres and the roof is hipped and clad in sheet metal.
The national database records a 2017 renovation for the north annex, the tea house and the row building, but gives no renovation date for the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the way it defines the eastern side of the grounds.
Its design follows the north annex closely: exposed-frame Shinkabe walls, glazing along the garden side and an outlook that opens to the planting. According to the agency, even the alcove arrangement repeats the north annex, room for room and detail for detail.
The restaurant set these guest rooms apart from the main house as small pavilions in the garden, and because both matching annexes survive, that arrangement can still be read on the ground.
What to Look For
This building makes most sense seen as half of a pair. Hipped roof, framed walls and garden windows repeat from one annex to the next, setting a quiet rhythm along the east side of the garden.
Just south, in the southeast corner, stands the tea house. At first glance it wears the same dress as the two annexes, but its plan is a rhombus. Look south from the front of the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex and you can see the one building in the row that breaks the pattern.
Photographs in the national database show the South Annex interior in use as a waiting room for the tea house, a role that suits its position immediately before it.
Visiting the South Annex
The exterior can be viewed from the garden during museum hours. Kofu City currently states that the interior of the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex is closed to visitors; ask at the information desk whether that has changed.
The other buildings can be entered with a permit from the information desk, for up to 1 hour.
Directions, opening days and fees for the whole site are on the Former Hotta Kojoen page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex
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Q&A
- When was the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex built and registered?
- It was built in 1933 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
- What kind of building is the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex?
- A detached single-storey timber guest room centred on a six-mat tatami room, with a hipped sheet-metal roof, exposed-frame walls, garden-side windows and a building area of 24 square metres.
- Can I go inside the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex?
- Kofu City currently lists the interior as closed. The exterior can be viewed from the garden during museum hours.
- Is the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex the same as the North Annex?
- They are two separately registered buildings, but they share the same size and layout, down to the arrangement of the alcove.
- Where is the Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex on the grounds?
- Behind the main house, in the middle of the three small buildings along the east edge, with the North Annex to the north and the Tea House to the south.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 3735-2 Ote 3-chome, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/2/4 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, sheet-metal roof, building area 24 square metres |
| Owner | Kofu City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable during opening hours; interior currently closed (per Kofu City) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013539
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hotta Kojoen South Annex
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/580136
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hotta Kojoen North Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013538
- Kofu City: Takeda Clan Residence Site History Museum (Shingen Museum)
- https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/rekishi_bunkazai/kofu-takedashirekishikan.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
