Teahouses of Japan

A large garden on the north side of the Japanese Gallery (Honkan) adds seasonal colours to the Tokyo National Museum. And along the edges of the garden are five teahouses that have been transplanted here from different parts of Japan.

Japanese Teahouses 茶室

Japanese teahouses, or chashitsu 茶室, are spaces for hosting tea ceremonies and sharing the Way of Tea. The purpose of a Japanese teahouse is to express Japanese artistry and sensibility through the act of drinking tea. 

Other features of the tea room include a garden outside, with a path that has a koshikake 腰掛け (waiting bench) and a tsukubai 蹲踞 (stone water basin). The guest sits on the bench and then refresh themselves at the tsukubai, as if to wash their worldly cares goodbye. ¹

Shunsoro 春草蘆

The teahouse Shunsoro 春草蘆 was originally constructed as a resting hut by Kawamura Zuigen 河村瑞賢 (1618-1699), the renowned Edo-period merchant and civil engineer, during improvement works of the Settsu Yodogawa River. First relocated to Osaka, then further on to the Sankeien Garden in Yokohama by Hara Tomitaro 原三渓 (Sankei, 1863-1939) himself, a famous silk merchant. The industrialist Matsunaga Yasuzaemon 松永安左エ門 (Jian, 1875-1971) moved the structure once again in 1937 into the premises of his Yanase Villa in Saitama. ²

In 1948, Matsunaga donated the entire Yanase Villa to the Tokyo National Museum and in 1959, Shunsoro finally settled in the current location. Its wooden nameplate of Shunsoro, hanging on the gable, was based on the script by the well-known master calligrapher Manshuin Ryosho-Shinno 曼殊院良尚法親王 (1622-1693) and was a gift from Hara to Matsunaga. The building is a single-storey wooden structure with a gabled roof and thatched roof, and the two rooms are sized five and three tatami mats respectively.³

Tengoan 転合俺

The teahouse Tengoan was originally built in Rokujizo in Fushimi, Kyoto by the famous tea master Kobori Enshu 小堀遠州 (1579-1647), who built the teahouse to show people a tea caddy named “Odaimyo” 「於大名」, gifted to him by the imperial Hachijo no Miya family 八条宮智仁親王. ⁴

After being passed down to Jakkoji temple 寂光院 in Kyoto, the structure of Tengoan was then inherited by Baron Watanabe Kiyoshi 渡辺清男爵 (Governor of Fukuoka prefecture and Mayor of Fukushima prefecture), who relocated the teahouse to Kasumicho in Asabu, Tokyo in 1878.

The ownership of Tengoan was subsequently passed on to Mihara Shigeyoshi 三原繁吉, an employee at the NYK shipping company and a collector of ukiyo-e. Mihara also came into the possession of “Odaimyo”, so the tea caddy was reunited once again with Tengoan.

After passing into the hands of Shiobara Matasaku 塩原又策, the founder of pharmaceutical company Sankyo (now Daiichi Sankyo), Tengoan and “Odaimyo” were both then donated to the Tokyo National Museum by Shiobara’s wife Mrs. Shiobara Chiyo in 1963.

Tea Caddy “Odaimyo” 耳付茶入 銘 於大名

Ceramics, by Seto | Edo period (17th century) | Dimensions – H: 7.6cm, D (mouth): 4.2cm, D (bottom): 6.9 cm | Tokyo National Museum, donated by Chiyo Shiobara. 陶製｜瀬戸作｜江戸時代・17世紀｜高7.6，口径4.2，底径6.9｜東京国立博物館，塩原千代氏寄贈

Rokusoan 六窓庵

Rokusoan 六窓庵 was built during the Keian 慶安 era (mid-17th century) within the premises of Jigen’in 慈眼院 of the Kofukuji temple 興福寺 in Nara according to a style preferred by Kanamori Sowa 金森宗和 (1584-1656) ⁵, a tea connoisseur and tea master. It was known as one of the three most representative teahouses⁶ in Yamato area. ⁷

The Tokyo National Museum acquired the teahouse in 1875, but during its transportation the ship sank near Izu Peninsula. Fortunately the wooden material was recovered and in 1877 it was reconstructed at the Museum.

During the World War II it was once again evacuated from Tokyo and in September 1947 finally reconstructed at the current location by Kimura Seibei, a great master carpenter of sukiya-style architecture.

Other facilities like the preparation room, the waiting shelter as well as the outdoor seats were designed by Kohitsu Ryochu and added to the building in 1881.

The shihobutsu-suiban-type washing basin (made from stones pagoda bodies, with four images of Buddha representing each of the four directions) at the entrance was originally a part of the pagoda of the Hosshoji in Yamashiro, built by the chief advisor to the Emperor, Fujiwara Tadahira in 925. This basin was once transferred to Ginkakuji, and after passing through various hands it then became part of the Museum collection in 1885.

Kujokan 九条館

Originally located in the residence of the Kujo Family 九条家 within the imperial palace compound in Kyoto, it was relocated to the Kujo Villa in Akasaka, Tokyo, where the family head of the clan used to dwell. ⁸

The interior walls decked with painted paper panels tokoharitsuke and the fusuma sliding doors are adorned with paintings of landscape with pavilion by the Kano school. The transom made of a single Chinese quince wood piece display fine openwork of Japanese Wisteria lozenges.

The Kujo family donated it to the Museum in 1934, and it was moved to the current location. The building is a single-storey wooden structure with a tiled roof and a hipped roof, with a width of 15m, a depth of 10m, two rooms and a walkway around it.

Okyokan 応挙館

It was built in 1742 as a shoin (study/drawing room) at the Myogen’in temple of the Tendai school of Buddhism in the country of Owari (present day Oharucho, Aichi prefecture). ⁹

After being relocated to the villa of Masuda Takashi (Donno, 1848-1938) in Shinagawa, Tokyo, it was donated to the Tokyo National Museum in 1933 to be moved to the current location.

The ink paintings on the interior walls and sliding doors by Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795) are supposedly executed in 1784, when the painter resided at the Myogen’in under eye treatment. The current installations are high-resolution digital reproductions.

The tokoharitsuke paper panels depict old pine trees, stones and bamboo, whilst on the Koshishoji panels are young pine trees as well as stones and bamboo.¹⁰

Gardens 庭園

The Tea Garden established a number of elements such as lanterns, stepping stones, bamboo fences, and water basins which were an enormous influence on Japanese landscaping to follow, especially in the expansive Stroll Garden (Kayushiki) style built by the regional rulers (Daimyo) for their pleasure and as evidence of their importance.

Other features of the garden of TNM include a five-storey pagoda 五重塔

Five-storied Pagoda 五重塔

The bronze pagoda is 570 cm tall. Its details such as the winding dragon on its peak, the taruki rafters, and the tokyo bracket complex are elaborately executed. The carved inscription on the podium recites the dedication accompanying the donation by the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi 徳川綱吉 (1646-1709) to the Horyuji temple 法隆寺: “Horyuji temple in the country of Yamato, the first year of Genroku 元禄元年 (1688) on a day of the 12th month, from the Shogun Joken’in Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.”

Yet there usually is no practice of stating the posthumous title (Joken’in) in combination with the secular title to a dedication during the lifetime of a person (Tsunayoshi died in 1709). In this case his posthumous title along with the date of the dedication was presumably added after his death.

The Large Lantern 大燈籠

The Large Lantern 大燈籠 was made by the fourth generation (1848-1920) of the Shimizu Rokubei family 清水六兵衛家, a family of potters still operating in Kyoto today. The fourth generation made it when he was 61 years old, and was donated to the museum by the fifth generation in 1938. It is an extremely valuable example that conveys the breadth of the fourth generation’s style, which went beyond ceramic lanterns. The total height is just over 230 cm. It is an extremely imposing piece that consists of six major sections – the jewel, umbrella, fire box, pedestal, pole, and base – and weighs a total of over 1 ton. ¹¹

Memorial of Machida Hisanari 町田久成の碑

This is a memorial stele for the founding director of the Museum, Machida Hisanari (1838-1897), who was born in Satsuma (present-day Kagoshima prefecture). He moved to Edo (present-day Tokyo) to study when he was 19. When he traveled to Britain in 1865, visiting the British Museum amongst other places, he was inspired to establish museums in Japan.

This aim he realised once he returned and began to build the foundation of museum in Japan as the first director of Hakubutsu-kyoku (department of museums), subordinate to the ministry of culture of the Meiji Government. He also pledged for a thorough analytical examination and protection of cultural properties, devoting his own wealth to the collection of old Japanese arts, thus saving them from dispersing out of the country. After his retirement in 1882 he became a monk and died on the 15th of September 1887. His grave is at Shinryoin temple of Kan’eiji.

The five historic teahouses in the garden can be booked for tea ceremonies and other events, such as haiku gatherings.

About Tokyo National Museum 東京国立博物館

The Tokyo National Museum collects, houses, and displays a comprehensive collection of art works and antiquities from Japan as well as other Asian countries. In 1882, it moved to the current location in Ueno Park. The current campus includes six buildings.

本館 Honkan (Japanese Gallery)

東洋館 Toyokan (Asian Gallery)

平成館 Heiseikan: Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibitions

法隆寺宝物館 The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures

表慶館 Hyokeikan

The building is primarily used for temporary exhibitions and has undergone several renovations over the years to maintain the structure.

Tokyo National Museum 東京国立博物館
13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8712, Japan

Opening Hours:
9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (except Mondays, excluding holidays. On those days, the Museum will be open on Monday and closed the following day)
Open until 8:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, January 12 and February 23, 2025.

Footnotes:

Unless otherwise indicated, the footnotes are information from the museum display tag.

1. https://japanhouse.illinois.edu/about/tea-garden ↩︎
2. 江戸時代、河村瑞賢（かわむらずいけん1618～1699）が摂津淀川改修工事の際に建てた休憩所で、その後大阪へ、さらに原三渓（1863～1939）によって横浜の三渓園に移され、昭和12年（1937）に埼玉県所沢市にある松永安左エ門（耳庵・1875～1971）の柳瀬荘内に移築されました。昭和23年（1948）に柳瀬荘が当館に寄贈され、昭和34年（1959）に春草廬は現在の位置に移されました。入母屋（いりもや）の妻に掲げられた「春草廬」の扁額は、能書家として知られる曼殊院良尚法親王（1622～1693）の筆で、三渓が耳庵に贈ったものです。木造平屋建て、入母屋造、茅葺き、座敷は5畳と3畳からなります。 ↩︎
3. 江戸時代、河村瑞賢（かわむらずいけん1618～1699）が摂津淀川改修工事の際に建てた休憩所で、その後大阪へ、さらに原三渓（1863～1939）によって横浜の三渓園に移され、昭和12年（1937）に埼玉県所沢市にある松永安左エ門（耳庵・1875～1971）の柳瀬荘内に移築されました。昭和23年（1948）に柳瀬荘が当館に寄贈され、昭和34年（1959）に春草廬は現在の位置に移されました。入母屋（いりもや）の妻に掲げられた「春草廬」の扁額は、能書家として知られる曼殊院良尚法親王（1622～1693）の筆で、三渓が耳庵に贈ったものです。木造平屋建て、入母屋造、茅葺き、座敷は5畳と3畳からなります。 ↩︎
4. 小堀遠州（こぼりえんしゅう　1579～1647）が桂宮から茶入「於大名（おだいみょう）」を賜った折、その披露のために京都伏見の六地蔵に建てた茶室です。1878年、京都・大原の寂光院に伝わっていた転合庵を、渡辺清（福岡県令、福島県知事、男爵）が譲り受け、東京麻布区霞町に移築。その後、三原繁吉（日本郵船の社員、浮世絵コレクター）へと所蔵者が変わっています。三原は茶入「於大名」も入手し、茶室転合庵とゆかりの茶入「於大名」がここで再び巡り合うこととなりました。その後、塩原又策（三共株式会社　今の第一三共の創業者）を経て、妻の塩原千代から昭和38年（1963）に茶入とともに当館に寄贈されました。 ↩︎
5. Kanamori Sowa (1584-1656) was a tea connoisseur of the early Edo Period. He was the first-born son of Kanamori Arishige (1558-1615), the Lord of Takayama Castle in Hida (today’s Nagano Prefecture), but was disinherited by his father in 1614, when he was 31 years old. As a result, he left his father and moved to Kyoto to live with his mother. There, he visited Bishop Join Denso of Daitokuji Temple for Zen training and eventually took the tonsure, adopting the Buddhist name of Sowa. His training in sado later blossomed, resulting in the establishment of the Sowa School, which offered a new artistic expression and appreciation of the art of tea. His friends included tea celebrities of the era, such as Konoe Nobuhiro (1599-1649), Ichijo Akiyoshi (1605-72), Kobori Enshu (1579-1647) and Katagiri Sekishu (1605-73). The Sowa School was known for grace and elegance and dubbed “princess-like Sowa,” thus attracting many followers among the aristocracy. https://objecthub.keio.ac.jp/en/object/507 ↩︎
6. Another one being the Hassoan 八窓庵 (located in the Nara National Museum compound) and Okiroku 隠岐録, a subtemple of Shiseibo, Todai-ji Temple 東大寺塔頭四聖房. https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=121&lang=ja ↩︎
7. 慶安年間（1648～1652）に奈良の興福寺慈眼院（じげんいん）に建てられたもので、もとは興福寺大乗院内にあり現在奈良国立博物館に移された八窓庵、東大寺塔頭四聖房の隠岐録（おきろく）とともに大和の三茶室といわれました。明治8年（1875）に博物館 が購入、解体輸送中に伊豆で船が難破しましたが、幸い材は流失をまぬがれて明治10年（1877）に当館に移築されました。その後、第二次大戦中再び解体され疎開しま したが、昭和22年（1947）9月、数寄屋の名工木村清兵衛により現在の位置に再建されたものです。入母屋造、茅葺きで席は三畳台目出炉、金森宗和（1584～1656）好み。水屋、寄付、腰掛などは明治14年（1881）に古筆了仲（こひつりょうちゅう）によって設計、増築されたものです。
   にじり口にある手水鉢（ちょうずばち）は四方仏水盤といわれる形式のもので、延長3年（925）関白 藤原忠平が建立した法性寺（山城国）の石塔のひとつでした。その後、銀閣寺を経て所有者が幾人か変わり、明治18年（1885）に当館の所有になりました。 ↩︎
8. もと京都御所内の九条邸にあったものを東京赤坂の九条邸に移した建築で、当主の居室として使われていました。昭和9年（1934）九条家から寄贈され、現在の位置に移築されました。床張付、襖などには狩野派による楼閣山水図が描かれており、欄間にはカリンの一枚板に藤花菱が透かし彫りされています。
   木造平屋建て、瓦葺き、寄棟造、間口15m、奥行き10m、2室、廻り廊下を巡らしています。 ↩︎
9. 尾張国（現在の愛知県大治町）の天台宗寺院、明眼院（みょうげんいん）の書院として寛保2年（1742）に建てられ、後に東京品川の益田孝（鈍翁・ 1848～1938）邸内に移築、昭和8年（1933）当館に寄贈され、現在の位置に移されました。室内に描かれている墨画は、天明4年（1784）、円山応挙（まるやまおうきょ、1733～1795）が明眼院に眼病で滞留していた際に揮亳したものであると伝えられています。松竹梅を描いた床張付がのこされています。
   墨画は保存上の理由から収蔵庫で保管されていますが、2007年、最新のデジタル画像処理技術と印刷技術を駆使した複製の障壁画が設置され、応挙揮毫当時の絵画空間が応挙館に再現されました。
   木造平屋建て、入母屋造、瓦葺き、間口15m、奥行き9m、2室、廻り廊下を巡らしています。 ↩︎
10. https://www.culture.city.taito.lg.jp/bunkatanbou/culture/touhaku/english/page_05.html ↩︎
11. 京都で現在も代々続く陶家・清水六兵衛家の四代（1848-1920）の作です。四代が61歳のときに作り、昭和13年（1938）に五代によって館に寄贈されました。陶製の燈籠という、器にとどまらない四代の作風の幅の広さを伝えるものとして、大変貴重な作例です。
    総高は、2メートル30センチ強。宝珠、傘、火袋、中台、竿、基礎部、の大きく6つの部分から成り、総重量は1トンを超える、大変堂々とした作品です。 ↩︎