Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya

A Tiny Pavilion on the Garden Path

The Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya (北方文化博物館いはのや, Ihanoya) in Somi, Konan Ward, Niigata City, is a single-storey timber pavilion from the decade after 1945, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2000.

The Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya stands south of the stroll garden and its large pond, halfway along the route linking the Sekisuian and Zekuken tea house with the Sadokantei. At 8 square metres, it is the smallest of the estate's 26 registered buildings for which a floor area is recorded.

Its name echoes Iwanoya, the trade name under which the second Bunkichi ran his grain, pawnbroking and warehousing business. A soba restaurant on the grounds uses that trade name, but the registered building is an adjunct to the tea houses.

Waiting Room and Garden Accent

The Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya was registered as a model of good design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a small building that doubles as a waiting place for the tea rooms and serves as an accent in the garden.

Its hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) roof is laid in pantiles (Sangawara-buki) at the centre and copper around the edges, two materials on one small roof.

The museum lists it among the tea houses built in the garden under Tanaka Taiami's direction.

Two Materials on One Roof

On the Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya, look for the line where the central tiles give way to the copper margin. On so small a roof, the change of material is easy to read.

It sits between the tea houses where you come upon it while walking the garden. Treat it as one scene along the path rather than a building on its own.

Visiting the Ihanoya

The museum states that the garden tea houses, the Northern Culture Museum Ihanoya among them, are not open to the public. It is seen from outside.

Keep photos and posts to personal use.