The Ohara Museum of Art, a cultural institution that Kurashiki is proud of. Directly opposite it stands a building distinguished by its green tiled roof.
The building is called “Yurin-so Villa.”
Ohara Magosaburo (1880–1943), who founded the Ohara Museum of Art, built it for his wife Sueko, who was in poor health. It was completed in 1928 as the “Ohara family’s second residence.”
In other words, it was a private residence, but its construction reportedly cost 260,000 yen—five times the cost of the five buildings that would later make up the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art.
In fact, Yurin-so Villa was equipped to serve as a “guest house,” a function Kurashiki did not have at the time. In addition,
it is a distinctive building that brings together three cultures: Japanese, Western, and Chinese.
That is what it is.
However, despite the money and passion invested in its construction, Ohara Magosaburo lived there for only about six months.
After that, it was used as a guest house, one of the original concepts behind its construction, and was not open to the public for many years. In recent years, it has become a space open to the public only for special openings several times a year.
In this article, we focus on Yurin-so Villa as an architectural work. We were accompanied by Ueda Yasutsugu, professor emeritus at Notre Dame Seishin University and a researcher of the building, who introduces it to us.
The historical facts and interpretations in this article are based on the research of Ueda Yasutsugu.
Photography is normally prohibited inside Yurin-so Villa. Special permission to take photographs was granted for this article.
The information provided was current when this article was published in March 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Yurin-so Villa
Yurin-so Villa is the former second residence of the Ohara family, completed in 1928.
The family’s main residence is what is now Ohara House Katalyzer. Although it was a historically distinguished building even then, people could enter and leave from anywhere, making it difficult to maintain a private living space for the family alone.
So, out of consideration for his wife Sueko, Ohara Magosaburo commissioned a Western-style residence where the family could live privately.
The person commissioned was Yakushiji Kazue, who later designed the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art.
“Yakushiji likely pointed out that Kurashiki had no facility for welcoming distinguished guests, despite the possibility of future visits by members of the Imperial Family and other imperial households, such as the Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa), who visited Kurashiki in 1926,” says Ueda Yasutsugu.
In response, the original plan for a family-oriented Western-style residence was substantially changed into a “full-fledged mansion” combining a spacious Western-style recreation room with a large Japanese-style section. This is the Yurin-so Villa we see today.
Yurin-so Villa is now owned by the Ohara Museum of Art.
Normally, only the exterior can be viewed. The interior is not open to the public except on special occasions, such as the special openings held each spring and autumn.
The first thing that catches the eye on the exterior is the roof tiles, which appear green or orange. Because of this color, Yurin-so Villa is also commonly known as the “Green Palace.”
The roof tiles were reportedly specially commissioned for Yurin-so Villa from a kiln in Tanigawa, Senshu, an area known for tile production at the time.
Roof tiles may bring Japanese architecture to mind, but those used on Japanese buildings are almost always gray or black, making such vivid colors unusual.
In fact, one theory is that they were chosen because the painter Kojima Torajiro admired Confucian temples and other sites he had seen in China.
Here is a brief history of Yurin-so Villa.
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| Around February 1925 | Ohara Magosaburo commissioned Yakushiji Kazue to design a Western-style residence |
| May 22, 1926 | The Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa) visited Kurashiki |
| June 2 | Groundbreaking ceremony held after design changes |
| April 1928 | Yurin-so Villa completed |
| June 5 | Ohara Magosaburo and his wife moved in |
| March 8, 1929 | Kojima Torajiro died |
| April 25, 1930 | Mrs. Sueko died |
| November | Special Army Maneuvers held in Okayama and Fukuyama; members of the imperial household used the villa as a rest stop during a visit to Kurashiki |
| 1935 | Yurin-so Villa became the property of the Ohara Museum of Art |
| January 18, 1943 | Ohara Magosaburo died |
| December 1947 | Emperor Showa stayed for two nights |
| From 1997 onward | The Ohara Museum of Art began holding special openings in conjunction with exhibitions |
Yurin-so Villa Was Designed by Architect Yakushiji Kazue
Photo: Courtesy of Ueda Yasutsugu
Yurin-so Villa was designed by architect Yakushiji Kazue, who was born in Soja City, Okayama Prefecture.
The main building of the Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki branch of the Daiichi Godo Bank (Chugoku Bank Kurashiki Honmachi Branch, now the Shin-Kojimakan (provisional name)) were also designed by Yakushiji Kazue.
After graduating from the Department of Architecture at Tokyo Imperial University’s College of Engineering in 1909, he worked as an engineer for the Ministry of the Army. At Ohara Magosaburo’s request, he resigned and became a director of Kurashiki Silk Textile Co., Ltd. (now Kuraray Co., Ltd.).
In addition to being an architect, Yakushiji Kazue reportedly had excellent management skills in design, estimating, project scheduling, and budget control.
This is evident in the fact that he completed the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art in just about six months.
Collaboration with Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro, and Repeated Design Changes
However, Yakushiji Kazue seems to have faced considerable difficulties in constructing Yurin-so Villa.
The first reason was that, unlike the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki branch of the Daiichi Godo Bank, it was not a facility open to the public but a private residence, so he did his best to fulfill the wishes of the client, Ohara Magosaburo.
Ueda Yasutsugu told us that another reason was likely that, although Yakushiji Kazue was skilled in Western architecture, he had never worked on Japanese architecture suitable for welcoming the Imperial Family.
For this reason, he commissioned Ito Chuta, a leading authority and foremost researcher of Japanese architectural styles at the time, as well as Yakushiji’s mentor, to create the basic design for the Japanese-style section.
The basic Japanese and Western-style sections took shape in this way, and Kojima Torajiro is said to have suggested to Ohara Magosaburo that Chinese design elements be incorporated.
As an architect, Yakushiji must have found it a blow to his pride to have someone outside his field interfere and prompt changes to his design.
However, at the time, Kojima Torajiro had been nominated to create paintings commemorating the virtues of Emperor Meiji, and Yakushiji, who had served as an architectural engineer to the Emperor, likely understood the significance and pressure better than anyone and held Kojima in high regard.
It seems he accepted the design changes because they shared the desire to create a better guest house.
As a result, Yurin-so Villa could be considered a work created through collaboration between Ohara Magosaburo and Kojima Torajiro.
Not a Blend of Japanese and Western Styles, but “Architecture Incorporating Japanese, Western, and Chinese Designs”
Right: two-story Japanese-style building
Yurin-so Villa is often described as a “blend of Japanese and Western architecture.” This is said to refer to the building’s composition.
- Single-story Western-style building
- Two-story Japanese-style building
This style of residence, combining Japanese- and Western-style buildings, had spread among Tokyo’s upper classes from around the mid-Meiji period. It was also a way of expressing a Western-style lifestyle as a status symbol.
Against this historical backdrop, Yurin-so Villa’s exterior, including its roof tiles, and the dining room’s design are Chinese in style. In other words, it is more accurately described as “architecture incorporating Japanese, Western, and Chinese designs.”
“A Residence That Also Served as a Guest House” for Welcoming Imperial and Other Distinguished Guests
When it was first planned as the Ohara family’s second residence, on a different site, it was intended simply as a Western-style residence.
The reason it took its present form was to give it the function of a “guest house” for welcoming distinguished guests, including members of the Imperial Family and other imperial households—something Kurashiki did not have at the time.
The living room (recreation room) seems to embody its function as a guest house.
As mentioned above, incorporating Chinese-style design changed some aspects of the original plan, but the then-fashionable Art Deco style was also incorporated.
What is Art Deco?
A decorative style that emerged in the 1920s.
A design that emphasizes straight lines, rationality, and functionality over ornamentation.
A Look at the Exterior and Interior of Yurin-so Villa
Now, let’s take a look at Yurin-so Villa, focusing on the building itself.
Exterior
Sliding doors are unusual for the entrance of a Western-style building.
Art Deco-Style Western Room
Living Room (Recreation Room)
Chinese-Style Dining Room
The kitchen is off-limits even during special openings.
Japanese-Style Architecture (First Floor)
This garden was redesigned at the request of Ohara Magosaburo
Japanese-Style Architecture (Second Floor)
The Strange Animals Protecting the Building
Look closely and you will find various animals at Yurin-so Villa.
It is said that the site was changed from the originally planned location to its present location out of consideration for feng shui, which was given importance when selecting the site for Yurin-so Villa.
An Unusual Teahouse in the Back Garden
It was added after construction, built as an extension of Yurin-so Villa’s wall
From the Writer
I was born and raised in Kurashiki, but the first time I entered Yurin-so Villa was in 2018.
I had always assumed it was a place you couldn’t enter.
But learning about the circumstances of its construction helped me understand that it is not a place one can simply walk into.
It is, after all, a private residence and a private space.
That’s what it is.
For this article, I was also shown areas not open to the public, including the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. They were spaces with a lived-in feel, unlike the glamorous Western-style rooms and spacious Japanese-style rooms.
Yurin-so Villa, built at enormous expense, was used as a private residence for only about six months.
Ohara Magosaburo and his wife moved in on June 5, 1928, but in August of that year, his wife Sueko was diagnosed with gallstones and was admitted to Kurashiki Central Hospital in December.
She developed jaundice at the end of February the following year and was admitted to Kyoto Imperial University Hospital in June. She was able to leave the hospital temporarily, but died on April 25, 1930.
In 1929, his close friend Kojima Torajiro also died.
Magosaburo had already moved his base of life to the Kansai region, and even after returning to Kurashiki, he is said to have spent much of his time at the family home where he had lived for so long (now Ohara House Katalyzer).
As a result, Yurin-so Villa may have become for Magosaburo a painful place that reminded him of those dear to him.
And as the country moved toward war, the villa was never used as a reception hall. Magosaburo’s wish was fulfilled only after his death, in December 1947 (Emperor Showa stayed there for two nights).
It is impossible to talk about today’s Bikan Historical Area without mentioning the industrialist Ohara Magosaburo, architect Yakushiji Kazue, and painter Kojima Torajiro.
Yurin-so Villa can be called the only work imbued with the thoughts of all three. Take your time looking around the building as you imagine what they had in mind.
Usually, only the exterior can be seen, but the villa is open to the public during Golden Week from late April and in October each year, and occasionally at other times as well.
If you have the opportunity, be sure to step inside Yurin-so Villa.
- Article reviewed by: Ueda Yasutsugu, Professor Emeritus, Notre Dame Seishin University
- Reference: Ueda Yasutsugu, The Architect Chosen by the Emperor: Yakushiji Kazue, 2016
- Photography: Sasaki Toshiyuki
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