[The Beauty and Craftsmanship of Sukiya-Style Architecture: Master Craftsman Sotoji Nakamura and the Tsuruya Yoshinobu Main Store]

At the intersection of Horikawa-dori and Imadegawa-dori, which run east-west and north-south through the textile town of Nishijin in Kyoto, lies the intersection commonly known as “Horikawa Imadegawa.” In the northwest corner of this intersection stands the main store of Tsuruya Yoshinobu, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop founded in the late Edo period. The building, which embodies the traditional style of a Kyoto townhouse, features a majestic sign made of a single piece of zelkova wood and a beautiful floor paved with ceramic tiles. Despite its location along a bustling street, the building always exudes a quiet and dignified beauty. I had always wondered where this unique beauty came from, but recently, I was drawn to the words “Uji Dainagon” written on the menu at the front of the store, so I visited the “Oyasumi-dokoro,” a place where you can enjoy sweets on the second floor of the main store. What spread out before me when the elevator doors opened was a space filled with refined Japanese design. The delicate use of materials and compositional beauty characteristic of sukiya-zukuri architecture were evident throughout, and I was able to enjoy a luxurious time savoring the delicious sweets while experiencing the source of the building's beauty.

Sukiya-zukuri (sukiya architecture) is one of Japan's traditional architectural styles, derived from the spirit of “数寄” (suki), which refers to a love for the arts such as tea ceremony and waka poetry, and is said to be related to the word “suki” (like). Originally, the term “sukiya” referred to a tea room built separately from the main house, but after the Edo period, the term came to refer to the entire architectural style that incorporated tea room construction techniques, and it spread to general residences. It has evolved with the times and is passed down to the present day. This style took its definitive form during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, developing alongside Sen no Rikyū's refinement of wabi-cha (the tea ceremony emphasizing simplicity and austerity), with its roots in the humble “grass hut-style tea room.” Reflecting the tea master's spirit of “cultivating one's inner self to entertain guests,” sukiya-zukuri contrasts with the formal shoin-zukuri style in that it has no fixed form and is characterized by its free-thinking approach, unbound by conventions or decorations, in pursuit of simple beauty. Additionally, sukiya-zukuri buildings emphasize harmony with nature. For example, the use of natural materials such as earthen walls with a unique texture and cedar and bamboo left with their bark intact allows one to feel the breath of nature even while indoors. The spirit of Sukiya-zukuri is also well reflected in the technique of “borrowed scenery,” which incorporates distant mountain ranges and trees in the garden into the interior space.

One of the leading Sukiya-style carpenters was Sotoji Nakamura, who was based in Kyoto. Born in Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture (formerly Isurugi Town) in 1906, he began his career as a carpenter at the age of 12 when he became an apprentice to his famous uncle, who was also a carpenter. After World War II, when many craftsmen lost their jobs, he established himself by gathering together skilled craftsmen and forming his own company. He later served as a sukiya architect (shoji-kata) for the Urasenke family, and was also involved in the construction of numerous tea rooms as part of Konosuke Matsushita's social contribution projects, earning high praise. In 1986, he was awarded the title of “Master Craftsman of Modern Times,” in 1988, he received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Sixth Class, and in 1992, he was honored as a “Kyoto City Cultural Merit Award Recipient.” Despite his skill and aesthetic sensibility, he remained humble, referring to himself as “carpenter Nakamura” throughout his life and adhering to a hands-on approach.

One of Sotoji Nakamura's representative works is the Tsuruya Yoshinobu Main Store. This building, which blends the aesthetics and craftsmanship of Sukiya-style architecture with the traditional Kyoto townhouse style, has been highly praised for its consideration of the surrounding landscape. In 1994, it won the Mayor's Award, the highest honor of the Kyoto Prefecture Urban Landscape Award. On the second floor, there is a “Oyasumi-dokoro” where visitors can enjoy matcha tea and Japanese sweets, and a “Kayu Chaya” (reservation required) where visitors can watch skilled Japanese confectionery artisans at work. In the center, there is a tea garden arranged in the style of a Kyoto machiya courtyard, which is hard to believe is on the second floor of a building. The stones used are Saji stones from Tottori, which are often seen in famous gardens in Kyoto. The space created by the sukiya-style interior and the garden is so peaceful that you forget you are on a busy street, evoking the feeling of a “mountain retreat in the city.” The tea room “Yushin” features natural materials such as Kitayama natural-cut round logs for the floor posts and red pine round logs with bark for the floor frames, showcasing the characteristics of sukiya-style architecture. What surprised me was the brick used for the floor of the elevator hall. These bricks were once used in a French castle, and the fusion of Japanese and Western styles conveyed the freedom and flexibility of the Sukiya-style architecture.

Sukiya-style architecture, a traditional Japanese architectural style that pursues harmony with nature and simple beauty without being bound by formality or convention. The unique space, where traditional aesthetic sensibilities and craftsmanship blend seamlessly, seems to speak to visitors about the philosophy and techniques that Sotoji Nakamura, a single craftsman, spent his entire life refining. Tsuruya Yoshinobu Main Store is a 4-minute walk from the Imadegawa Showroom. It is a place where one can experience both the traditional culture of Japanese sweets and the charm of Sukiya-style architecture, truly a living cultural treasure.

Tsuruya Yoshinobu Main Store
https://www.tsuruyayoshinobu.jp/shop/head
Imadegawa Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/imadegawa.html

References
https://oniwa.garden/tsuruya-yoshinobu-kyoto/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%B6%B4%E5%B1%8B%E5%90%89%E4%BF%A1
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E6%9D%91%E5%A4%96%E4%BA%8C
https://magazine.sbiaruhi.co.jp/0000-6095/