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Kyoto State Guest House [SP] Kyoto State Guest House [PC]

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  1. State Guest Houses
  2. Kyoto State Guest House
  3. Fuji-no-Ma

Fuji-no-Ma

A photo of the whole of Fuji-no-Ma, as photographed from the corridor. Straight ahead is the tapestry "Reika." On this side, a lintel extends left and right towards the top of the photo. A carpet is spread across the floor of the room. Screens are placed on either side of "Reika," and display stands are placed symmetrically on both left and right.

Fuji (Wisteria) Denotes "Welcome": A large room that combinesWestern and Japanese elements

The largest space in Kyoto Guest House, Fuji-no-Ma is used for European-style banquets and for ceremonial welcomes.
It can seat approximately 60 guests in an imperial banquet layout (with long tables placed perpendicular to the head table) or 120 guests using circular tables.

Highlights

A photo of the "Reika" tapestry shot diagonally. Compared with the display stand placed in front of it, one can see the tapestry's great size. The flowering plants in the tapestry are woven in such vibrant colors that they can be mistaken for a painting .

Tapestry: Reika

On the wall is a work titled Reika, a tapestry designed by the nihonga artist Shikami Kiyomichi and woven in tsuzure-ori (polychrome tapestry) technique, depicting 39 varieties of flowers. The dantsu carpet on the floor shows windblown petals from the wisteria flowers depicted in the tapestry.

A photo of the illuminated coffered ceiling in Fuji-no-Ma. Rhombus-shaped lights have been installed in each delineated section of the ceiling, in shapes reminiscient of three-layered Japanese kites. Some lights extend out from the ceiling, facing downwards, and some do not extend, creating a pattern across the ceiling.

Lattice-like Illumination

The ceiling illumination comes from fixtures created using Mino Japanese paper and traditional Kyoto joinery. Each fixture can be individually adjusted in height, resulting in as many as 15 different patterns.

A photo of the stage with doors open. The doors are decorated with gold leaf "kirikane," and across the stage is lowered a curtain said to be so thin that the slightest breeze would twist its threads. A screen can be seen faintly through the curtain.

Elegant Japanese Cultural Traditions Take the Stage

The space hosts traditional dance, noh, koto (a type of stringed instrument), and gagaku (court music) performances, offering distinguished visitors an experience of Japanese cultural traditions.

A close-up photograph of the "kirikane" work on the stage doors. From the pattern of extremely fine strips of gold and platinum leaf layered over and over again, one can imagine the great skill and concentration, and the extraordinary amount of time this work took to complete.

Kirikane Craft Brightens the Stage Doors

The late Eri Sayoko, a Living National Treasure, created this work using gold and platinum leaf. The gold and silver coming together with the beauty of the one enhancing the beauty of the other are used as a metaphor for people coming together at events in this room. The title of the work is Kōru-kōin.

A close-up photo of a screen. Wisteria, chrysanthemums, and lotuses are embroidered onto evenly-spaced strips of cloth known as "nosuji."

Kichō Partitions That Showcase Traditional Crafts

Used to divide a space into rooms or create privacy, the kichō at Kyoto Guest House are masterful examples of artisanship in kumihimo (braided silk cord), Kyoto embroidery, lacquerwork, and cross-weave silk known as ra, thinner than even sha silk.

For those who wish to pay a visit
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