Ninomiya Family Residence Ryotei Pavilion

A Tea Pavilion Over the Water

The Ninomiya Family Residence Ryotei Pavilion (二宮家住宅涼亭, Ninomiya-ke Jūtaku Ryōtei) is a single-storey timber garden pavilion built early in the Taisho era, which began in 1912, on the Ninomiya estate in Hasuno, Seirō Town, Niigata Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006. It has a hipped roof of sheet metal and a building area of just 13 square metres, the smallest of the estate's registered buildings.

The name ryōtei means a pavilion for taking the cool. It stands at the south-east corner of the grounds on the shore of the Bentengata lagoon, with most of its floor cantilevered out over the water. It measures 2 bays by 1 and a half. A lean-to roof (Geya) on the north side forms the entrance, and inside there is a single six-mat room.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a detached tea pavilion that makes the most of its site. According to the family, the part of the Seishō-en garden around this cool-air retreat is laid out as a tea garden.

Why It Was Registered

The Ninomiya Family Residence Ryotei Pavilion was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Set on the line where garden meets lagoon, it marks the edge of the estate in the view from the water and from the house.

Small as it is, the room is properly fitted. On the east wall are a Tokonoma alcove and shelves made from choice timber, and the south and west walls are opened up with large windows. With the alcove to the east and the windows to the south and west, a seated guest looks out across the open lagoon. It was built, as its name says, for catching the breeze off the water on summer afternoons.

By the family's account the garden was laid out as part of the rebuilding that followed the 1875 fire. The pavilion, added early in the Taisho era, drew the lagoon itself into the estate's scenery rather than simply overlooking a garden.

What to Look For

From the garden, the low hipped roof seems to float just above the water. Try to pick out where the shore ends and the cantilevered floor begins.

The Bentengata lagoon is known for the swans that winter there, but the public opening is in early summer, when the pine woods on the far shore line up behind the pavilion's roof.

Visiting

The interior of the Ninomiya Family Residence Ryotei Pavilion is not open. It stands at the south-east corner of the grounds on the lagoon shore, beyond the Japanese garden, and is seen from the garden during the opening.

To see how the floor projects over the water, move a little along the shore to view it from the side. Follow the on-site guidance on photography.