What Is the Former Kitato Satsukiryo?
The Former Kitato Satsukiryo (旧喜多藤皐月寮, Kyū-Kitato Satsukiryō) is the tea room of a former restaurant inn in Honmachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture; a small single-storey timber building with a gabled tile roof, it was built in 1936 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 2021. At 12 square meters it is the smallest of the seven Former Kitato buildings.
It is reached by a covered corridor from Suimeiso, the family house. A waiting room for guests is attached on the east side. The roof is tiled, with part of it in copper sheet.
The ryo in the name can mean a dormitory, but not here: Satsukiryo is a Chashitsu, a building for making and serving tea.
A Four-Mat Room with a Wide Alcove
The tea room is about four tatami in size and has no sunken hearth cut into the floor.
On the west side, a span of 1.5 ken is given over to the Tokonoma alcove. In so small a room, handing most of one side to the alcove lets it set the tone of the whole space.
The alcove plays with its materials. The Tokobashira post is a curved timber with the bark left on, set beside a square-section bamboo, and the low cupboard beneath is fitted on a diagonal. The effect runs opposite to a formal alcove of straight posts and square shelves: the natural shape of each material is left in view.
A Ceiling Split Between Host and Guest
On the south side is a half-mat area where the host sits to prepare tea.
The ceiling changes over that line. Above the host's place it is woven wickerwork; above the guests it is a Saobuchi-tenjō ceiling with bamboo battens. In a room of about four mats, the ceiling finish alone marks out where the host belongs and where the guests belong.
Into 12 square meters the Former Kitato Satsukiryo packs a curved bark-on post, square bamboo, a slanted cupboard and two kinds of ceiling. It was built in 1936, at the same time as Suimeiso.
Visiting the Former Kitato Satsukiryo
The Former Kitato Satsukiryo is privately owned. Neither the tea room nor its waiting area is open, and the grounds inside the gate are closed to visitors.
The tea room stands deep in the lot beyond Suimeiso and cannot be seen from Honmachi-dori. Access and the site layout are covered on the Former Kitato page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kitato Satsukiryo
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Q&A
- What is the Former Kitato Satsukiryo?
- It is the tea room of the former Kitato restaurant inn, a single-storey timber building of 12 square meters built in 1936.
- How large is the tea room in the Former Kitato Satsukiryo?
- About four tatami. It has no sunken hearth, and a half-mat host's area sits on the south side.
- What is special about the alcove in the Former Kitato Satsukiryo?
- It takes up 1.5 ken of the west wall and uses a curved bark-on post, a square bamboo and a diagonally set low cupboard.
- When did the Former Kitato Satsukiryo become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 14 October 2021, as registration number 24-293, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
- Are tea ceremonies held in the Former Kitato Satsukiryo?
- No public tea gatherings or open days could be found. The building is privately owned and its interior is closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kitato Satsukiryo (旧喜多藤皐月寮, Kyū-Kitato Satsukiryō) |
|---|---|
| Location | 118-1 Honmachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), Registration No. 24-293 |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered 14 October 2021) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 1 storey, tile roof partly copper, building area 12 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Kitato Satsukiryo (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013735
- Cultural Properties (Nabari City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.nabari.lg.jp/s061/010/020/000/030/201502051897.html
- List of Designated Cultural Properties in Nabari (Nabari City, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.nabari.lg.jp/s061/010/020/000/030/R7shiteibunnkazaiitirann64.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.27
