What is the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing?
The Ryotei Masa Detached Wing (料亭満佐離れ棟, Ryōtei Masa Hanaretō) is a one-story timber garden pavilion standing apart to the southeast of the main house of the Ryotei Masa restaurant in Nakasu 1-chome, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, built in 1954 and extended in the Showa 30s (1955 to 1964), and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2019.
With a building area of 49 square meters it is the smallest of the five registered structures at Ryotei Masa. It contains a hanare, or detached guest room, a Chashitsu tea room and a toilet, under its own roof away from the main house. Its registration number is 40-0160.
A room with a moon-viewing deck
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the guest room of the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing has its alcove on the west side and a veranda wrapping the south and east sides, which serves as a tsukimidai, a deck for viewing the moon. Seated with the alcove behind you, you look out over the veranda in two directions to the garden and the sky.
The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in Sangawara-buki pantiles, except along the lower edge, where the eaves are sheathed in copper sheet instead of tile. Keeping the weight of tile off the eaves lets them stay thin and fine, which suits a small pavilion. The Agency describes the building as a detached tatami room of refined, elegant character, standing on its own apart from the main house.
The tea room of the Masa detached wing
The tea room in the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing has a fukuro-doko on its east side, an alcove partly closed in by a wing wall so that the inside of the alcove seems recessed, like the inside of a pouch.
Beside the host's mat stand a naka-bashira, the central post of a tea room, finished in naguri, and a wing wall pierced by a Shitaji-mado. Naguri is a finish of shallow, wave-like adze cuts, which makes this one post stand out among the straight timbers of the room. A shitaji-mado is a window left unplastered so that the bamboo lath shows, and it lets soft light fall across the host's mat. Both are standard parts of a formal tea room, built here into the detached room of a restaurant.
According to the restaurant, the room of the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing was built as a tea room. It now has a sunken kotatsu-style table and is used by small parties.
Seeing the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing
The Ryotei Masa Detached Wing is a guest room of an operating restaurant and has no public opening days. Only guests who book it can see the moon-viewing deck and the tea room.
It stands deep in the grounds to the southeast of the main house and cannot be seen from the street. Since it is meant for small groups, ask the restaurant about using it when you book. There is no official guidance on photography.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ryotei Masa Detached Wing
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Q&A
- When was the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing built and registered?
- It was built in 1954 and extended in the Showa 30s (1955 to 1964). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2019, under number 40-0160.
- What is the moon-viewing deck of the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing?
- The veranda that wraps the south and east sides of the guest room is treated as a moon-viewing deck, opening the room to the garden on two sides.
- What features does the tea room in the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing have?
- A fukuro-doko alcove on the east side, a central post with an adze-cut naguri finish, and a wing wall with a lattice shitaji-mado window.
- What kind of roof does the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing have?
- A gabled pantile roof whose lower edge is sheathed in copper, keeping the eaves thin and light.
- Can visitors see the Ryotei Masa Detached Wing?
- Not as sightseers. It is a guest room of an operating restaurant available only to booked guests, and it lies deep in the grounds, out of view from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Ryotei Masa Detached Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 103 and others, Nakasu 1-chome, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 49 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Operating ryotei restaurant (reservations only; first-time guests need an introduction); no general public opening |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 料亭満佐離れ棟 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013004
- Cultural Heritage Online: 料亭満佐離れ棟 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/380207
- Appendix to the March 2019 registration report (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/03/15/a1414399_03.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.04
