Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse | Inuyama City | Aichi Prefecture | Official Site | Sightseeing Information | Directions | Parking | Details | AichiNow-OFFICIAL SITE FOR TOURISM AICHI

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Inuyama-City Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse

  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse
  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse
  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse
  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse
  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse
  • Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse

Inuyama's Samurai Tea Room Treasure

The ancient castle town of Inuyama just north of Nagoya must be the only place in the world featuring two National Treasures, once owned by two brothers from two different worlds.

Inuyama is home to National Treasure Inuyama Castle, once owned by the warlord Oda Nobunaga. Nearby is the Joan Teahouse, an early 17th century teahouse, built by tea-master Oda Uraku, younger brother of Nobunaga. Considered a masterpiece of architecture, the Joan Teahouse was originally built in 1618 in the grounds of Kyoto's Kenninji Temple. It was relocated to Tokyo and later Kanagawa before finally coming to Inuyama in 1972, where it became part of the Urakuen gardens (also spelled Uraku) east of National Treasure Inuyama Castle.

The small teahouse was designated a National Treasure in 1951 and is one of Japan’s three finest teahouses. Simple in its design in accordance with Tea Ceremony rules, it has a low, wooden shingle capped roof covering soft-yellowed walls of wattle and daub clay covered bamboo lattices. The samurai would remove their swords and leave them on the rack outside. (The shorter wakizashi swords would be worn at all times.) Crawling into the main room through the Nijiriguchi, a tiny door to remind them they are entering a simpler world, they would then sit on their folded legs in the furniture bare tea room measuring just two and a half tatami mats in size. Meanwhile the master would prepare the tea in the three mat Mizuya room. A fine example of a special kind of window, known as an Uraku-mado, featuring a closely fitted “mat” of bamboo can also be seen here.

See the Oda Nobunaga held National Treasure Inuyama Castle, then see his younger brother’s tea room, the National Treasure Joan Teahouse. Two National Treasures, owned by two brothers from two different worlds, in the one area, Inuyama.

The Various Teahouses Present a Peaceful Atmosphere

Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse

Not only Joan Teahouse, but also the Important Cultural Property Shodenin Study, the Gen-an Teahouse reconstructed from old drawings, and the Ko-an Teahouse which was newly built in order to hold tea ceremonies within the garden are all wonderfully atmospheric!
Ko-an Teahouse's stone water basin (a classic element of Japanese gardens) is a suikinkutsu, which produces an elegant sound as water drips into an underground earthenware jar. Listening to this distinctive sound is another enjoyable aspect of the garden.

Partake in a Special Japanese Sweet and Green Tea While Gazing at the Garden

Urakuen Japanese Garden / National Treasure Joan Teahouse

A popular activity here is having tea at Ko-an Teahouse.
You can drink matcha green tea out of bowls fired in Inuyama and taste a one-of-a-kind Japanese sweet called Urakufu while enjoying the beautiful garden scenery.

SPOT OVERVIEW

  • Parking
  • Restaurant
Location : 〒484-0081
1 Inuyama Gomonsaki, Inuyama-City, Aichi
Fee : ■ Garden admission
Adults 1,200 yen
Children (younger than 12) 600 yen
Preschoolers free of charge
■ Tea service fee: 600 yen
■ National Treasure set ticket: 1,450 yen
In addition, a special fee is required when special openings of Joan Teahouse, special viewings of the fusuma painted partitions, and the first tea ceremony of the New Year are held.
Opening
days / hours
: [Garden hours] 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Garden admission until 4:30 PM)
[Tea service hours] 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM (Sales until 4:00 PM)
Parking : Please use Hotel Indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden's parking lot
Holidays : Wednesday (the following weekday if Wednesday is a public holiday)
Year-end and New Year (December 29th - January 1st)
Garden maintenance days (irregular)
Phone number : 0568-61-4608

Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.

ACCESS

  • Access by public transport
    Access by public transport
    Alight at Inuyamayen Station of the Meitetsu Inuyama Line. Walk 8 min.
  • Access by car
    Access by car
    25 min. from Komaki I.C. of the Meishin Expressway.

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KeywordKeyword
#Urakuen Japanese Garden
#National Treasure Joan Teahouse
#Aichi Prefecture
#Inuyama-City
#Japan
#Urakuen

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