Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor

Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor: A Bench for Tea Guests

The Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor (樂家住宅腰掛待合, Raku-ke jūtaku koshikake machiai) is a tiny shelter beside the front gate of the Raku potters' home on Aburanokoji Street in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, where guests invited to tea sit and wait; it is dated to the early Meiji period and was registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007.

A koshikake machiai is the covered bench where tea guests gather before the host calls them in. This one is 1 bay by half a bay, with a building area of just 4.6 square metres, under a gabled roof of pantiles.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period; the Raku Museum dates the rebuilding of the family house to 1855.

Why It Was Registered

The Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape, the Agency noting the calm, Japanese-style exterior it gives the street.

It does two jobs at once. For guests it is part of the ritual of arriving for tea; for the street it is part of the frontage. That double role is why so small a building earned its own registration.

What to Look For: Bench, Lattice and Privy

The Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor faces two ways. The bench is on the west, the inward side, where guests sit looking into the grounds; the east side, toward the street, has a projecting lattice window.

On the south, next to the gate, is a privy, and a single gabled roof spans bench and privy together. A privy beside the waiting bench is a familiar arrangement in tea gardens.

Fences run 10 metres north and south of the arbor. With the lattice window they fill the street front north of the gate, while the attendants' waiting room balances it on the other side.

Seeing the Waiting Arbor

From Aburanokoji Street you can see the lattice window, the roof and the fence of the Raku Family Residence Waiting Arbor. The bench side faces into the private grounds and is not open.

Seen from the street, the low line of lattice and fence gives the north side of the gate a quiet, even edge. The street is narrow, so stand where you will not block traffic. Directions are on the Raku Family Residence page.