Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room

Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room: A 1906 Four-and-a-Half-Mat Room

A 1906 tea room beside the Kajiwara main house in Oshio, Himeji: a four-and-a-half-mat space with a daime alcove, a kininguchi, a nijiriguchi and a round window.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room

The Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room (梶原家住宅茶室, Kajiwara-ke Jūtaku Chashitsu) is a tea room built in 1906 northeast of the main house on the Kajiwara estate in Oshio, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.

The Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof, partly finished in cypress bark (hiwadabuki). Its building area is 28 square meters, and a corridor connects it to the main house.

A Tea Room Built in Four Parts

At the heart of the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room is a tea space of about four and a half tatami mats. Around it are three supporting parts: an entrance on the north, a waiting area on the east, and a three-mat mizuya preparation room on the south.

The waiting area is built from humble materials. Cedar bark lines the underside of the roof, bamboo rafters span it, and the walls are sabi-kabe, an earthen plaster containing iron that develops rust-colored flecks over time. This is where guests would compose themselves before the ceremony.

Doors and Windows of the Tea Space

The tea space has two kinds of entrance. On the north is a kininguchi, a doorway tall enough to walk through upright, beside a daime-doko alcove shortened to about three-quarters of a mat. On the east is a nijiriguchi, the small crawl-through entrance that asks every guest to bow low on the way in. Having both in one room gives the host a choice in how to receive guests.

A large round window opens in the west wall. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums up the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room as plain and direct in design.

It was registered as a model of architectural form, one of only four structures on the estate so recognized, alongside the main house and two other tea buildings. Its construction in 1906, the same year the main house gained its reception wing, marks the moment the Kajiwara family's hospitality spaces took shape.

Seeing the Tea Room

The Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room is part of a private home and is not open to the public. It stands inside the compound northeast of the main house, so it is unlikely to be visible from the street (not checked on site).

A small shrine stands to its north and a privy to its northeast, and the tea-ceremony quarter of the estate grows outward from here. For the overall layout and directions, see the Kajiwara Family Residence (Nishi-Kajiwara) page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room; [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room built?: AIn 1906, the same year the main house received its new reception wing.

QCan I visit the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room?: ANo. It belongs to a private residence and is not open to the public.

QHow large is the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room?: AThe tea space is about four and a half mats; with its entrance, waiting area and three-mat mizuya the building covers 28 square meters.

QWhat entrances does the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room have?: ABoth a kininguchi, entered standing, and a nijiriguchi, the small crawl-through entrance.

QWhy was the Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room registered?: AIt was registered in 2009 as a model of architectural form, with a design the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls plain and direct.

Basic Information

Name	Kajiwara Family Residence Tea Room
Location	457 Miyanomoto, Oshiocho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	2009 (registered)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 28 m²
Owner	Private owner
Public Access	Not open to the public (private home; exterior from the street)