Where tea guests came in
The Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall (玄関, genkan) is the reception wing of a tea compound, built in 1937 in the garden of the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art in Uchida-cho, Izumi, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
It stands at the southwest corner of the compound, facing east. A single-storey timber building of 5 by 4.5 ken, it has a small toilet wing on the east side and covers 60 square metres, second only to Chosentei among the registered structures.
The roof is a pantiled gable, with copper sheeting along the eaves and the verges. The entrance is set in the gable end (Tsumairi), sheltered by a copper canopy, and the step-in area is floored with bamboo slats.
Why it was registered
The Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the light-looking gable roof with its copper-trimmed edges as something that pulls the site together. It is not a tea room itself, but it is the first building a guest steps up into.
Osaka Bunkazai Navi traces the route inside: from the bamboo step-in to an entrance room and a waiting room, then across a corridor to a nine-mat room, with a six-mat room along the north-south corridor that leads to Chosentei. The path from front door to reception room is built into the plan.
What to look for
The copper edging on eaves and verges reads like a thin outline around the tile roof, making the eaves look slimmer than tile alone would. Approach from the east to see the gable front properly.
Notice the bamboo slats at the entrance. Instead of a stone or beaten-earth floor, the first step into the tea world is on split bamboo.
Visiting
The museum announces Sunday interior openings for Chosentei; there is no separate opening for the Entrance Hall, and whether visitors pass through it on an opening day depends on how the session is run.
Some areas are closed for conservation. Photography of the tea buildings is allowed, but tripods and selfie sticks are not.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall
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Q&A
- What is the Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall used for?
- It is the wing where tea guests were received, leading from a bamboo-floored entrance to waiting rooms and along a corridor toward Chosentei.
- When was the Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall built?
- The national database dates it to 1937, the same year as Chosentei and Soan.
- Can you go inside the Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall?
- No separate opening is announced. The museum opens Chosentei on Sundays.
- What should I look at on the Entrance Hall?
- The tile gable roof trimmed with copper at the eaves and verges, the copper canopy over the gable-end entrance, and the bamboo-slat floor at the door.
- Where is the Entrance Hall in the tea compound?
- At the southwest corner, facing east, with a small toilet wing on its east side.
Basic Information
| Name | Izumi City Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Teahouse Entrance Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-6-12 Uchida-cho, Izumi, Osaka Prefecture (garden of the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/11/29 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 60 m² |
| Owner | Izumi City |
| Public Access | No separate opening announced |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Entrance Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006026
- Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi: Chosentei tea room opening
- https://www.ikm-art.jp/event/tearoom.html
- Osaka Bunkazai Navi: Kuboso Memorial Museum of Art Tea Rooms
- https://osaka-bunkazainavi.org/bunkazai/%E5%92%8C%E6%B3%89%E5%B8%82%E4%B9%85%E4%BF%9D%E6%83%A3%E8%A8%98%E5%BF%B5%E7%BE%8E%E8%A1%93%E9%A4%A8%E8%8C%B6%E5%AE%A4%E3%80%80%E6%83%A3%E5%BA%B5%E3%80%80%E8%81%B4%E6%B3%89%E4%BA%AD%E3%80%80%E6%A5%A0
Last verified: 2026.09.24
