KYOTO -- The watchtower of the wealthy merchant Mitsui family's large villa in this ancient Japanese capital offers visitors a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

The Old Mitsui Family Shimigamo Villa is located near the confluence of the Kamo and Takano rivers in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward. It was built in 1925 by the 10th head of the family, Mitsui Hachiroemon Takamine (1857-1948), and was intended to be used as a resting place for family members when they visited Akina Reisha, a shrine dedicated to the family's ancestors.

The villa's premises are 5,720 square meters and have wooden structures including the three-story main building, the one-story entrance building and a single-story tea ceremony room.

The main building is a relocated version of the villa in Kyoto's Kiyamachi area constructed in 1880 and has a bottle gourd-shaped pond in the moss garden.

The third floor is a watchtower with a panoramic view including of Mount Daimonji. The entrance building is in the "shoin" style of traditional Japanese residential architecture, but with a high ceiling and carpeted flooring, it was used as a Western-style living room. Although the rooms are furnished with chairs, the glass windows overlook a Japanese garden, giving the building a blend of Japanese and Western styles.

After World War II, the villa was turned over to the national government and used as quarters for the chief of the Kyoto Family Court until 2007. The property is highly valuable as a modern Japanese-style building and was designated as an important cultural property in 2011, and has been open to the public since 2016. Today, it welcomes tourists and widely conveys the history of Kyoto.

(Japanese original by Kazuki Yamazaki, Nagoya Photo and Video Department)

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The Japanese version of this article was originally published on Oct. 6, 2024.

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This series explores Japan's architectural wonders and secrets of yesteryear. Read more Retro Japan articles here.