What the Tea House Is
The Uno Family Residence Tea House (宇野家住宅茶室, Uno-ke Jūtaku Chashitsu) in Kitamachi, Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture, is a single-storey wooden Chashitsu of the Taishō period (1912 to 1925) that became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003. It has a tiled roof and a building area of 23 square meters.
Rather than being a room inside the house, the Uno Family Residence Tea House stands as a building of its own. A covered corridor joins it to the reception room at the northeast corner of the main house.
A Complete Tea Setting in One Building
The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists its parts: a tea room of four and a half tatami mats, a Mizuya where the host prepares utensils, a service room (katte), a waiting room (machiai) and a toilet (setchin). Everything a tea gathering calls for, from the host's preparations to the guests' wait before entering, is contained in the one building.
The Agency describes the design of the Uno Family Residence Tea House as authentic and notes that it is well kept. It is listed as register no. 27-0220, on the criterion that it contributes to the historic landscape of the country.
A Second Tea Room at the Uno Family Residence
The registered building is not the only tea room at the Uno Family Residence. North of the Buddhist altar room at the back of the main house, a Tsunoya wing projects outward, and it holds a second tea room that belongs to the main house itself.
One tea room is built into the house; the other stands apart at the end of a corridor. The Uno Family Residence Tea House dates from the Taishō period, so it was added after the late-Edo main house was built.
Seeing the Tea House
The Uno Family Residence Tea House stands inside the grounds, northeast of the main house. Judging from the layout it is hard to see from the old Kishū Kaidō, and the interior is not open to visitors.
Access and visiting conditions for the whole property are on the Uno Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- What kind of building is the Uno Family Residence Tea House?
- A freestanding tea house joined by a covered corridor to the reception room at the northeast corner of the main house. It has a tea room of four and a half mats with a mizuya, service room, waiting room and toilet.
- When was the Uno Family Residence Tea House built?
- In the Taishō period (1912 to 1925). It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003.
- How large is the Uno Family Residence Tea House?
- It is a single-storey wooden building with a tiled roof and a building area of 23 square meters.
- How many tea rooms does the Uno Family Residence have?
- Two. Besides the registered Uno Family Residence Tea House, a tea room sits in a wing projecting north of the Buddhist altar room in the main house.
- Can visitors see the Uno Family Residence Tea House?
- No. The Uno Family Residence is a private home that is not open to the public, and the tea house stands inside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Uno Family Residence Tea House (宇野家住宅茶室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 17-17 Kitamachi, Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 27-0220 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 18, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey wooden building, tiled roof, building area 23 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Inside the grounds and hard to see from the street |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Uno Family Residence Tea House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003275
- Cultural Heritage Online: Uno Family Residence Tea House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/149885
- Uno Family Residence (Kaizuka City)
- https://www.city.kaizuka.lg.jp/bunkazai/bunkazaidata/bunkazai/kuni_sitei/tourokubunkazai/unoke.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
