Nakamura Park Hoshoken Tea House

A Tea Room in the Omotesenke Taste

The Nakamura Park Hoshoken Tea House (中村公園豊頌軒) is an early Meiji tea house in Nakamura Park, Nakamura-cho, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, moved here in 1957 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017, under registration number 23-0481.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof, partly copper, and a building area of 42 square metres. It is a tea room in the taste of Rokurokusai, eleventh head of the Omotesenke school, moved from Sobue-cho in Inazawa.

Why It Was Registered

The Hoshoken was registered in 2017 as a model of design. According to the Agency, it is gabled with a tiled roof and a deep copper-roofed eave. The main tea room is four and a half mats plus a daime mat, with the alcove in the honkatte position, and around it are a preparation room to the west, an entrance to the north and a two-and-three-quarter-mat waiting room to the northeast.

The Agency describes it as a tea room of simple, refined design. Reflecting the taste of an Omotesenke grand master, it continues in use as one of the park's group of tea rooms.

What to Look For

Notice the deep copper eave projecting from the gabled tile roof, a light touch that gives the tea house its calm presence.

Look too at the arrangement of the main room, waiting room, preparation room and entrance (Agency for Cultural Affairs). North of the park's gourd-shaped pond stand other tea rooms, including the Toin (Nakamura Park).

Visiting

According to Nakamura Park, the Toin, the Hoshoken and other tea rooms stand north of the gourd-shaped pond. No information was found on access to or use of the Hoshoken's interior, so ask the park office. Booking, access and contact details are on the Nakamura Park page.