Chourakukan, State Guesthouse in Kyoto

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Chourakukan was built as a state guesthouse in 1909 for hospitality to domestic and foreign guests (VIPs). Last year, the building was designated as a National Important Culture Asset. It is an example of Renaissance architecture.

In addition, the equipment and furniture in this building are all top-class goods. This time, I’d like to introduce rooms used as café or restaurant and Japanese-style rooms on the third floor to you. Please enjoy the luxury room structures and furniture in this building.

1. First Floor
Floor Map

“Geihin-no-Ma (Reception Room)” (1), near the entrance, is a Rococo-style room. The room was originally used a drawing room where ladies used to chat after dinner. Today, it is used exclusively for afternoon tea. In this room, please particularly check out Baccarat chandeliers, antique furniture, and plaster sculptures.
“Kyugi-no-Ma (Billiards Room)” (2), built half-underground, is now used as a café. You shouldn’t miss the stained-glass windows of the heavy double doors.
The boutique is light-filled and was a greenhouse room when the building was built. The floor is covered with geometric-patterned tiles. Please see the iris stained-glass door.
The bar was originally the owner’s study, where the heavy built-in bookcases still remain. It is now used as the hotel’s reception desk and as a private bar for hotel guests.
Le Chêne (4), which is a neo-classical style room of the English Victorian era, was originally used as a dining room. The beautiful plant pattern reliefs on the ceiling and walls, gorgeous chandeliers, and other elegant furnishings remain as they were when it was built. Today, the room is used as a restaurant.
The lobby is a dignified space. Although your eyes take time to adjust to the darkness inside the building just when you enter there from the bright outside, the calm and comfortable atmosphere hangs there.

2. Second Floor
Floor Map

“Setsugu-no-Ma (Reception Room)” (1) has been loved by guests as a guest room. The furniture, designated as a National Important Cultural Property including the Rococo style flower stand and a dressing table with a mirror, beautifully decorates the room.
“Kifujin-no-Ma (Ladies’ Room)” (2) is used as a café, or a venue for small dinners, lunch parties, or workshops. You can comfortably spend your time there while taking a long look at a beautiful view of Maruyama Park.
“Kitsuen-no-Ma (Smoking Room)” (3) is decorated in the Chinese style where the Chinese ink paintings of bamboo and orchids can be seen on the walls. You can also see the double sliding door with a stained-glass window depicting a shepherd girl and the name plate written by Hirobumi Ito when entering the room.
The big painting of hydrangea blossoms in “Art Room” (4) was painted by Hakurei Nakamura. This room was made for showing the painting, in which many Western and Oriental collections are exhibited. Now, it is used as a café.
“Houou-no-Ma (Phoenix Room)” (5) was a guest room for distinguished guests from Japan and abroad. The furniture, made by Maple Company (designated as a National Important Cultural Property), is no longer available. Now the room is used as a café or as a venue for exhibitions and buffet parties.

3. Third Floor
Floor Map

The third floor is normally closed to the public, but we could specifically see classical Japanese style rooms on the floor. The tea room (1) is a copy of “Zangetsu-tei” in the Omotesenke school of the tea ceremony. The stained glass having traditional Japanese patterns is nice.
“Onari-no-Ma” (2) is “Shoin-zukuri” (a traditional style of Japanese residential architecture), which is the highest formality in Japanese architecture. The room, however, has Baccarat chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.

What do you think about Chourakukan, which was built by Kichibei Murai, who was a businessman in the Meiji Era, as a palace for reception and sociality. This building was utilized for receiving not only private guests of Kichibei Murai but also important domestic and foreign guests as a national accommodation. It is a nice place, as stated, that this is a state guesthouse for welcoming guests.