A tea hut named after the poet's brush name
Among the buildings raised at Shokoji for the 150th memorial of Chiyo-ni in 1935 is a thatched tea hut called Sofu-an. The name is not decorative. Sofu, meaning grass wind, was one of the brush names the poet used, so the little building carries her poetic identity in its title.
It stands just south of the Chiyo-ni Hall, facing east, and reads as an open, unpretentious grass-hut style tea room rather than a formal pavilion. The floor area is about sixty-one square metres, larger than the neighbouring memorial hall but still modest.
An unusual roof and a registered status
The building was registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2007. Its most distinctive feature is the roof. A north-south hip-and-gable ridge is crossed by a second east-west hip-and-gable roof, producing a projecting, cross-shaped silhouette that is unusual for so small a structure and gives the hut a lively profile against the garden.
The plan matches the roof. The projecting central bay holds an eight-mat main room; a four-mat tea room sits to the north; a water preparation area is tucked along the rear and south sides; and an earthen-floored eave shelter runs across the front. The overall treatment is calm and even, chosen to suit a poet's retreat.
Visiting the tea hut
Sofu-an belongs to the western, memorial part of the precinct, together with the Chiyo-ni Hall, the poet's grave and the relic hall. This is the area of Shokoji that welcomes visitors, so the exterior of the hut and its distinctive roof can be seen at close range.
The thatch, kept under a temporary copper cover, and the open front make the hut feel connected to the garden rather than shut away. Read alongside the tiled Chashitsu tea building on the eastern side of the temple, it shows two rather different ideas of the tea room standing within a single compound.
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Q&A
- What does the name Sofu-an mean?
- Sofu, or grass wind, was one of Chiyo-ni's brush names, so the hut is named directly after the poet.
- When was it built?
- In 1935, at the same time as the Chiyo-ni Hall, for the poet's 150th memorial. It was registered as a cultural property in 2007.
- What is special about its shape?
- Its roof crosses a north-south ridge with an east-west one to form a projecting cross-shaped outline, unusual for such a small building.
- What rooms does it contain?
- An eight-mat main room in the projecting bay, a four-mat tea room to the north, a water area at the rear and south, and an earthen eave shelter across the front.
- Is it open to visitors?
- Its exterior can be viewed as part of the memorial area of the precinct, alongside the Chiyo-ni Hall and grave.
Basic Information
| Name | Shokoji Sofu-an Tea Hut |
|---|---|
| Location | Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Classification | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (national register) |
| Registration date | Registered December 5, 2007 (gazetted December 19, 2007) |
| Registration no. | 17-0167 |
| Registration criterion | Contributing to the nation's historic landscape |
| Era | 1935 (Showa 10) |
| Structure | Single-storey timber structure, thatched roof (temporarily clad in copper sheet), floor area 61 m² |
| Count | 1 building |
| Owner | Religious corporation Shokoji |
| Public access | Active temple; interior not routinely open. The Chiyo-ni Hall, Sofu-an tea hut and relic hall (small fee) are open to visitors. |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006715
- Kaga no Chiyojo | Hakusan City
- https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/bunka/bunkashinko/1002773/1002775/index.html
- Shokoji | Urara Hakusanbito Tourism
- https://www.urara-hakusanbito.com/spot/detail_1100.html
- Shokoji Official Site
- https://shokoji.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.11