Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance

What Is the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance?

The Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance (祇園甲部歌舞練場玄関, Gion Kōbu Kaburenjō Genkan) is a single-storey timber building of 1913 at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo theater in Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2001.

It stands in a pocket formed by three neighbors: the Main Building to the east, the Annex to the south and the former Yasaka Kaikan to the north. A hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) main block is fronted by a carriage porch under a curved karahafu gable, all roofed in tile, with a building area of 286 m². On performance days the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance has long served as the doorway and waiting room for first-class ticket holders.

Why the Entrance Was Registered

For the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the value of the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance lies in its commanding exterior, fitting for the front door of a theater. It is registration No. 26-0085, entered for its contribution to the country's historic landscape.

Inside, the main block was originally divided into two wooden-floored rooms, one the size of 45 tatami mats and the other of 30. The Agency notes that they served as the first-class entrance and first-class waiting room at performances, a glimpse of a Taisho-era theater that sorted its patrons by seat grade from the moment they arrived.

The theater, the Annex with its tea room and lounges, and this Entrance all went up in the same year, 1913. The Entrance is the first room on the route to the stage and the hinge between the other two.

What to Look For: The Karahafu Porch and a Preserved Coffered Ceiling

Pass through the Main Gate and the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance faces you across the forecourt. The curved karahafu of the porch pushes forward, and the hip-and-gable roof of the main block steps up behind it. Stand a little off-center and the difference in height between the two roofs becomes clear.

During the recent seismic work, the coffered Gō-tenjō ceiling and the carved Ranma transoms inside the Entrance were preserved, according to Kyoto City's case study. The owners also say that plaques written by Tomioka Tessai and Suzuki Shonen hang in the entrance hall, but their description leaves unclear if that hall means this registered building or the lobby rebuilt during the renovation.

Visiting the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance

The exterior of the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Entrance can be seen head-on from the forecourt inside the Main Gate. The forecourt is mainly accessible while the Gion Kagai Art Museum is open and on performance days; the owners do not say if the gate stays open at other times.

How much of the interior you can walk through depends on the event, and the museum does not state that its route includes this building. If the ceiling and transoms are the reason for your visit, ask ahead. Personal photography is allowed on the museum route.

Hours, admission and directions are on the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo page.