A tea room at the edge of the formal rooms
The tea room of the Otoshi residence in Shinnobe, Befu, stands to the south of the main house, on the ground just off the veranda of the formal reception rooms. Its placement, close to the seat of hospitality, is part of its meaning.
The building is small: a three-mat tea room paired with a two-mat mizuya, the preparation space where utensils are washed and readied. It is roofed in sangawara pantile with a gable, and a copper-sheet earthen eave reaches out on the south side to shelter the approach. Its building area is just 18 square metres.
Why it is registered
Registered on 18 November 1999 as one of the nine Otoshi buildings, the tea room is valued as a reception facility that shows one side of how a great headman lived and entertained. Tea practice was a mark of cultivation, and a dedicated room for it signals that the household moved in a world of formal social exchange.
Small as it is, the tea room completes the picture the compound offers: alongside quarters, storehouses and a gate range, a place set aside for the quiet, mannered reception of guests.
What to look for
Notice how the tea room relates to the main house rather than standing apart in a separate garden. Sited off the formal veranda, it kept the ceremony close to the household's public rooms. The copper eave on the south is a small, deliberate touch on an otherwise modest building.
The residence is private and not open for regular visits. The tea room lies within the inner garden, so it is less visible from the street than the gate range, but it is an essential part of the ensemble that earned registration.
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Q&A
- Where is the tea room?
- South of the main house, on the ground just off the veranda of the formal rooms.
- What does it contain?
- A three-mat tea room and a two-mat mizuya, the utensil preparation space.
- Why does it matter?
- It shows the cultivated, social side of a great headman's life and completes the compound as an ensemble.
- Can I visit?
- No; it lies within the private inner garden and is not open for regular visits.
Basic Information
| Name | Otoshi Family Residence Tea Room (Otoshike Jutaku Chashitsu) |
|---|---|
| Location | 881 Shinnobe, Befu-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Registered | 18 November 1999 |
| Structure | Wooden, one storey, sangawara-tiled gable roof with copper-sheet eave; building area approx. 18 sq m; 1 building |
| Period | Edo period, 19th century |
| Access | Part of a private residence; not open for regular visits |
References
- Kakogawa City — Otoshi Family Residence, nine Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/kunitourokukaisetu/kunitourokuootosikejuutaku.html
- Kakogawa City — List of designated and registered cultural properties
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/siteitourokubunkazaiitiran20230320.html
- Kakogawa City — Registered cultural properties, individual entries
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/kunitourokukaisetu/index.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — Cultural Properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/
Last verified: 2026.07.04