Imahan Annex North Wing

The Banquet Wing of Imahan Annex

The Imahan Annex North Wing (今半別館北棟) is the banquet wing of a restaurant of about 1950 in Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on September 19, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 173 square metres; registration number 13-0161.

A Banquet Wing Facing the Courtyard

The Imahan Annex North Wing stands northeast of the Entrance Building, facing the South Wing across a courtyard (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its pantile roof is hip-and-gable at the front and gabled on the east side, and it is the largest of the three buildings.

The ground floor holds the kitchen, the serving room and the office, and the upper floor has banquet rooms of different sizes (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Kitchen below and banquets above: the working heart of the restaurant is gathered into this one wing.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Imahan Annex North Wing as a model of design, citing the lavish composition of the great hall with its wide alcove and display shelves, and the phoenix carving on the ceiling of the anteroom, which together give the banquet rooms a festive air.

What to Look For

The highlight is the great hall upstairs: the front wall pairs a wide alcove with display shelves, and the ceiling of the adjoining anteroom carries a carved phoenix (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Turning from the hall to the anteroom, you see how a carved ceiling was used to raise the tone of a banquet.

The restaurant's page also highlights carving by master craftsmen in its transoms, walls and ceilings.

Visiting

The Imahan Annex North Wing stands behind the courtyard, and whether it can be seen from the lane could not be confirmed. Its upstairs rooms are for dining and banquet guests; no official information was found on the terms for using the great hall.