Iwata Family Residence Tea House

A Tea House at the Corner of the Main House

The Iwata Family Residence Tea House (岩田家住宅茶室) is a tea house attached to a townhouse of 1900 in Tachikawacho, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 25, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 39 square metres; registration number 31-0185.

Joined to the Corner of the Main House

The Iwata Family Residence Tea House adjoins the southeast corner of the late-Edo main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its main roof is hipped and laid with pantiles; the northeast side, facing the garden, is left open between the posts, and an open lean-to roof wraps around it.

The plan comprises a four-and-a-half-mat tea room, a two-mat room and a Mizuya preparation area (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On the west wall of the tea room, the alcove and the host's entrance sit side by side.

East of the tea house, a roofed passage leads to the annex built in 1917 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that the tea house creates a quiet garden space, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. Behind the street-facing main house, it is this building, opened toward the garden, that shapes the inner scene of the property.

What to Look For

Look at the northeast side facing the garden: open between the posts and wrapped by an open lean-to, in contrast to the more closed street front of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Inside, the alcove and the host's entrance share the west wall of the four-and-a-half-mat room; with the two-mat room and the mizuya, the whole building covers only 39 square metres.

Visiting

The Iwata Family Residence Tea House stands behind the main house, facing the garden. No official information on public access was found, and it is not confirmed whether it can be seen from the street.