Kakurintei Tea House
Encyclopedia
The Kakurintei Tea House located in the grounds of Kono Koen, Saga City
, Japan
. Originally built by Lord Naomasa Nabeshima
, this tea house
is very quaint and picturesque located overlooking a pond.
Shortly before the Meiji Restoration
when the clan system was abolished, the Kakurintei was transferred to the hands of Kazuma Nakano, a family retainer. His eldest son Chiaki then transferred ownership to the Saga Prefectural Girls' High School in Jonai, Saga City. Shortly thereafter, Japan entered the Second World War, and the structure gradually fell into disrepair. In 1960, it was cleared along with the Girls' School itself.
In 1986 the Kakurintei Document was discovered, some 140 years after it was erected and a movement to reconstruct the Kakurintei was started under the auspices of the Saga Prefectural Culture Federation, the Saga Prefectural Tea Ceremony Association and other groups. Reconstruction was finally approved as a part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Saga City as a municipality in 1989.
The reconstruction was based on one photograph, several old drawings, and the original structural materials, with the aid of computer analysis. After one year and five months, the structure was completed.
Reborn as the Heisei Kakurintei, this famous building carries on the glorious intent of Lord Naomasa and will continue to be beloved by the people of Saga.
Saga, Saga
is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Originally built by Lord Naomasa Nabeshima
Nabeshima Naomasa
was the 10th and final daimyō of Saga Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan. His honorary title was Hizen-no-Kami, and he was occasionally referred to as “Prince Hizen” in western accounts during the Bakumatsu period.-Biography:...
, this tea house
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
is very quaint and picturesque located overlooking a pond.
History
The Kakurintei Tea House was constructed in November, 1846 (Kouka 3) at Kono Koen (Kono Park), at the command of the 10th lord of the Saga clan, Lord Naomasa Nabeshima. It served the clan as a guest house, with visitors including Fulbeck and Toshimichi Okubo among others. Lord Naomasa was recognized as one of the most successful and powerful leaders of Japan in his time, and it is said that he relaxed from the rigors of politics at this tea house while composing poetry.Shortly before the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
when the clan system was abolished, the Kakurintei was transferred to the hands of Kazuma Nakano, a family retainer. His eldest son Chiaki then transferred ownership to the Saga Prefectural Girls' High School in Jonai, Saga City. Shortly thereafter, Japan entered the Second World War, and the structure gradually fell into disrepair. In 1960, it was cleared along with the Girls' School itself.
In 1986 the Kakurintei Document was discovered, some 140 years after it was erected and a movement to reconstruct the Kakurintei was started under the auspices of the Saga Prefectural Culture Federation, the Saga Prefectural Tea Ceremony Association and other groups. Reconstruction was finally approved as a part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Saga City as a municipality in 1989.
The reconstruction was based on one photograph, several old drawings, and the original structural materials, with the aid of computer analysis. After one year and five months, the structure was completed.
Reborn as the Heisei Kakurintei, this famous building carries on the glorious intent of Lord Naomasa and will continue to be beloved by the people of Saga.
External links
- Kakurintei Tea House: http://www.shinpoo.jp/shisetsu/kakurin/kakurin.htm (in Japanese)