Chōshūkaku, Traditional teahouse in Sankei-en, Japan

The Chōshūkaku is a traditional teahouse in Sankei-en featuring wooden beams and structural details that showcase Japanese design principles. It sits at the foot of a small valley and displays the sukiya-zukuri style with carefully selected materials and construction methods.

Built in 1623 inside Nijō Castle in Kyoto on the orders of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had it made for his procession to the capital; it was then called Mikasakaku. Iemitsu gave it to his wet nurse Kasuga no Tsubone, and it passed to her grandson, the rōjū Inaba Masanori, whose Edo residence held it until the Meiji Restoration. In 1881 it was moved to the Nijō family estate in Wakamatsu-chō, Tokyo, and in 1922 the tea master Hara Tomitaro (Sankei) received it and had it rebuilt at Sankei-en, renaming it Chōshūkaku.

The name Chōshūkaku, "pavilion for listening to autumn," was given when the building reached Sankei-en in 1922. Its first-floor tea room has an irregular plan of eight mats of mixed sizes, with an alcove, shelves, a writing alcove and a stair room on a gentle curve. The entrance steps down one level into an L-shaped earthen floor paved with rare wooden tiles, suggesting a boat landing.

Chōshūkaku stands inside Sankei-en at 58-1 Honmoku Sannotani, Naka-ku, Yokohama. From Negishi Station take a Yokohama city bus and get off at Honmoku, then walk about 7 minutes; from Sakuragicho Station or Yokohama Station east exit, get off at Sankeien-mae, about 3 minutes on foot. The garden paths and the valley slope involve some walking, so sturdy shoes help.

The name means pavilion for experiencing autumn sounds, referring to falling leaves and migratory birds passing through. This poetic title reflects how the teahouse was designed to open visitors' awareness to seasonal changes and natural sounds.