The is a historic house located in

Shibuya, Tokyo Shibuya (渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1, ...

. The house includes a large garden reminiscent of

roji , lit. 'dewy ground', is the Japanese term used for the garden through which one passes to the ''chashitsu'' for the tea ceremony. The roji generally cultivates an air of simplicity. Development Sen no Rikyū is said to have been important in th ...

, a kind of garden that surrounds a

teahouse A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

History

The house was constructed in 1919 by Torajiro Asakura as his house, and a place for him to conduct business. It survived the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Fumihiko Maki, an architect working on a neighboring mall, insisted on the preservation of the house, citing it as a good example of Taisho era architecture.

References

External links

Shibuya City Office , Kyu Asakura House, an Important Cultural Property
Important Cultural Properties of Japan Buildings and structures in Shibuya Museums in Tokyo {{japan-museum-stub