Back to buildersTea rooms, ryōtei restaurants, museums and private homes — a leading sukiya house working in Japan and abroad.
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Source: pen-online.jp
Founded in 1931 and based in Kyoto, this workshop builds in the sukiya style. Three generations of master carpenters have led it: founder Sotoji Nakamura, second-generation Yoshiaki Nakamura and third-generation Koji Nakamura.
Sotoji was born in Toyama in 1906, became a carpenter's apprentice at 12 and later made his name in Kyoto. His work includes the Nelson Rockefeller residence in New York (1972) and the Jingu tea house at Ise Jingu (1985); he is said to have worked on some 300 buildings in his lifetime.
The firm's teaching comes down to three things: materials, tools and cleaning. Gather and study the best materials, use tools to suit them, and let a building mature through daily care — the founder's saying, "Building is half, nurturing is half," sums it up.
Beyond tea rooms it builds restaurants, inns, museums and private homes; Yoshiaki is known for remodelling an old sukiya house in Nyakuoji, Kyoto, for modern living. At the entrance is a showroom (by appointment only) for Kouseki, a brand of furniture, joinery and lighting.
Donated by Konosuke Matsushita, who asked for a building that would last 300 years, this is founder Sotoji Nakamura's best-known work. The 108-tsubo building has a four-and-a-half-mat tea room, two large rooms and a room for imperial visitors; its design was supervised by the then Urasenke grand master Sen Soshitsu. Hidden details help it withstand the weather.
View on official site ↗
An old sukiya house of more than 150 years, remodelled with Yoshiaki Nakamura in charge of construction (design by Toshihito Yokouchi). A Horyu-ji timber acquired by the founder stands as a column in the dining room, joining an old sukiya house with modern living.
View on official site ↗Photos: Nakamura Sotoji Komuten official website
The Jingu tea house is normally closed but opens to the public in spring and autumn (as of the article; enquiries to the Jingu Shicho, +81-596-24-1111).
In 1962–63 Konosuke Matsushita commissioned ten tea rooms across Japan from Sotoji; the Jingu tea house was the last of them.
Kohseki's joinery shop Takumi-waza is at the same address, 15 Murasakino Nishi-goshoden-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto. The showroom is by appointment only; there is no parking, so visitors are asked to come by public transport.
Photos: Nakamura Sotoji Komuten official website
| Company | Nakamura Sotoji Komuten |
|---|---|
| Address | 15 Murasakino Nishi-goshoden-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Business | Sukiya-style construction of tea rooms, restaurants, ryokan inns, museums and private homes |
| Phone | +81-75-451-8012 |
| Hours | 8:00–17:00 (closed Sundays and over New Year) |
| Affiliate | KOHSEKI Co., Ltd.: joinery (Japanese-style lighting) and Danish furniture divisions; founded 1984 |
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