A tea room for sencha
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room (旧蔵内家住宅茶室, Kyū-Kurauchi-ke Jūtaku Chashitsu) in Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a Chashitsu built in 1919 on the Kurauchi family estate and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.
It sits north of the Main House, neatly attached to the northwest corner of the Reception Wing. An Irimoya-zukuri roof is ringed by a lower canopy, with an extra hip-and-gable end turned to the west. The building covers 47 square metres, and the tea room itself is an 8-mat space.
Today the roof is copper, but the national record notes that it was first finished in Hiwadabuki, layered cypress bark.
Why it was registered
The Tea Room was registered as number 40-0022 as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the slim proportions of its members, in the refined Sukiya-zukuri manner, and one detail in particular: the crosspiece above the Tokonoma alcove is a length of bamboo.
Chikujo Town calls it a sencha-style tea room. Sencha, steeped leaf tea, was the fashionable drink of literati gatherings in late Edo and Meiji Japan, and it favored brighter, more open rooms than the small, rustic spaces of the whisked matcha ceremony. An 8-mat room lined up with the other reception rooms along the pond fits that taste, and the town notes the influence of sencha culture throughout the house and garden.
That a Taisho coal magnate chose sencha over matcha says something about the cultural aspirations of Kyushu's new industrial rich.
What to look for
Find the alcove first and look at the bamboo crosspiece, its nodes running horizontally. With the thin posts and rails around it, it keeps the whole room light.
The exterior is best read from the garden to the north. The main roof, the low canopy wrapping it and the west-facing gable pile up on a small building, meeting the Reception Wing's roof at an offset angle. Try picturing the original bark roof as you follow the copper lines.
From the Tea Room's veranda the pond and rockwork appear at a slightly different angle than from the Reception Wing, one more frame on the same garden.
Visiting the Tea Room
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room is on the regular Kyu-Kurauchi-tei route. Access may be limited during tea gatherings or exhibitions, so follow staff directions. The house offers a paid sencha service separately from admission, though the town's information does not say whether it is served in this room.
Wheelchairs cannot be used inside, and photography rules should be checked at the desk. Hours and directions are on the Former Kurauchi Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room built?
- In 1919.
- Is the Kurauchi Tea Room for matcha or sencha?
- Chikujo Town describes it as a sencha-style tea room. It is an 8-mat room.
- Was the Kurauchi Tea Room always roofed in copper?
- No. The roof is copper now, but it was originally cypress bark.
- What details should I look for in the Kurauchi Tea Room?
- The bamboo crosspiece above the alcove and the slender sukiya-style proportions throughout.
- What protection does the Kurauchi Tea Room have?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) on February 14, 2002.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 396 Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Chikujo-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, copper-sheet roof, building area 47 square metres (8-tatami tea room) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (opened to the public by Chikujo Town as Kyu-Kurauchi-tei) |
| Public Access | Open to the public as part of the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei tour route (closed Wednesdays) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database: Former Kurauchi Family Residence Tea Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002703
- Facilities: Kyu-Kurauchi-tei (Chikujo History Walk)
- https://www.chikujo-rekishi.jp/guide/kyukurauchitei/k002.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
