A Sukiya Tea House Rich in Fine Timbers
The Zojuin Temple Tea House (蔵珠院茶室) is a sukiya-style tea house of a temple of the late Edo period in Kokufucho Shibahara, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 81 square metres, moved in 2014; registration number 36-0213.
Two Wings Joined at an Angle
The Zojuin Temple Tea House is the tea house of a temple on the plain on the right bank of the Yoshino River, standing west of the main hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A hipped and gabled wing with two tea rooms, a preparation room and a waiting room is joined, with its ridge turned the other way, to the gabled wing of the upper room.
Each room has a different character, and all use a wide range of fine timbers lavishly, with elaborate design down to the details (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes it as a fine sukiya building lavishly using varied fine timbers with elaborate detail, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look at how each room differs in character and at the fine timbers used throughout (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The owner field in the Agency database is unclear. No official information on public access was found. The tea house and the Maikomi Well are introduced together on the Zojuin Temple page.
Q&A
- When was the tea house built?
- In the late Edo period; it was moved in 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where does it stand?
- West of the main hall of Zojuin.
- What rooms does it have?
- Two tea rooms, a preparation room, a waiting room and an upper room.
- What marks its design?
- Each room differs in character, with fine timbers throughout.
- When was the Zojuin Temple Tea House registered?
- On October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Zojuin Temple Tea House (蔵珠院茶室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3 Kokufucho Shibahara, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 81 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Zojuin Temple Tea House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014087
Last verified: 2026.10.23
