Tea master in early Edo period

Teahouse

It's called Shomoku-ro. And it reproduces the famous teahouse which was made at a corner of the Fushimi magistrate's office in Kyoto in the beginning of the Edo period.    

If you ask what were the typical buildings in the Sengoku period, we will refer to modern castles. However, there were other masterpieces, teahouses. Teahouses were very closely related to the spiritual world of tea-masters. Therefore, tea-masters invented and developed teahouses as their own idea how they believed the tea ceremony.
　

At the beginning, it was a meeting room for a tea-master when he faced with Samurai people. In this period, many teahouses were made as individual houses and adjunct rooms of their residences. But, soon after, Samurai people themselves came to be tea-masters. Thus, they made many teahouses in their residences and in the castles they owned.

The original was planned by Kobori Ensyu. He was belonged Samurai class and one of famous tea-masters in the beginning of the Edo period. So, this teahouse is belonging to the latter according to the explanation above. Kobori was a Fushimi magistrate from his late 40th to his closing years, so this office building was also his residence. As a tea-master, he made many teahouses in it. The original residence was ruined some time ago. To reconstruct this teahouse, planning was duplicated in reference to old drawings of the original.


Going to the Shomoku-ro

The Shomoku-ro is in a corner of a museum at Shimada city Shizuoka Prefecture. This museum exhibits several displays connected with tea, including tea ceremony room all over the world. The Shomoku-ro is not only a display of a Japanese tea ceremony room but also the special feature of this museum.

When this museum was made, it was called 'Ocha-no-sato museum' or 'museum at a home of Japanese tea'. And it was renovated dramatically, and changed its name to 'Fuji-no-kuni cha-no-miyako museum' recently. 'Fuji' means Mt. Fuji, and because you can see Mt. Fuji from this museum, they add an appealing point in its name.

There are 3 buildings which are a museum tower, a commercial facility, and a teahouse 'Shomoku-ro'. And around the teahouse, wide and beautiful Japanese landscape garden is surrounded. We can look at a senary of the Edo period from the tea ceremony room in it. 
　

When you go to Shimada city, you go to the Kakegawa station using a super express 'Kodama', and move to the Kanaya station by JR line. From this station, you can use a taxi because local buses are not convenient and the museum is located long distance to walk from it. We will mention one example below.

When we start Shin-osaka at 8, we can arrive at Kakegawa station at past 10. Then move to Kanaya station, and this time zone we can find local buses (community buses). We can enter the museum at past 11. However, this example is one of the best cases. We think you need more time usually. Furthermore, transferring is very complicated in this case. You need to prepare carefully.


Inside the teahouse

To tell the truth, the Shomoku-ro is a jointed building of 2 famous room which was made by Kobori Enshu. From the entrance of this building is reproduced study room called 'Takimoto-bo'. And an adjunctive tearoom called 'Kouhou-kyo' is on a pond. Across a hallway, a reproduced guest room of the Fushimi magistrate's office and an adjunctive small tearoom. Accordingly, outside view of this building is a little strange because of hybridity of 2 types of teahouses.

On the other hand, inside of this building is strictly reconstructed in traditional way. We need to pay 500 yen (1 adult) for an admission fee in front of the entrance. We can visit 'Takimoto-bo' study room and 'Kouhou-kyo' tearoom with no extra fee. But if you want to enter the deeper area, you need to pay additional fee for attending an entry-level tea ceremony.

The 'Takinoto-bo' study room

The 'Kouhou-kyo' tearoom

Considering for a while, we decided to attend the tea ceremony. Because we studied the guest room of the Fushimi magistrate's office which had named 'Kusari-no-ma'. According to our study, this room was one of masterpiece tearoom by Kobori Enshu. Furthermore, if we add an extra reason, we can taste Matcha and Japanese confectionery in this traditional tearoom.

The 'Kusari-no-ma' tearoom

We have tried to taste Matcha in many historical facilities, but this place is really awesome. Tea-master woman wearing Kimono is preparing Matcha in front of us. An iron teakettle filled up with hot water and other traditional tea ceremony tools is arranged. In our front, there is a wide window with paper sliding screens. We can look at Mt. Fuji in the midst of an opened window. What luxury moment we spend!

Next to the Kusari-no-ma, there is another small tearoom named 'Yuken-an'. This room has beautifully arranged many windows here and there in it. There came a tea-master woman who doubled as the guide of this building, she explained interesting topics concerned with it. According to her explanation, Kobori Enshu invited his guests to this small tearoom first, and after that, he made them move into the Kusari-no-ma.

The 'Yuken-an' tearoom

Inside the 'Yuken-an'

The original Fushimi magistrate's office was ruined many time ago, and there are no remains. Kobori Enshu who held many tea ceremonys there was also one of the successors of the tea ceremony. After former successor named Furuta Oribe, Kobori Enshu played many active roles as well as his master. He connected with planning of gardens in the early Edo period and made many teahouses which were said masterpieces. There are his gardens (original) and teahouses (reconstructed) in Kyoto. We hope we can visit these places in the future.