Yubae-no-Ma

Tapestries of Kyoto Mountains, West and East

This space is used for conferences such as ministerial meetings, ryurei-style tea ceremony, and waiting area for banquets. The name Yubae-no-Ma takes a character each from the names of two pieces of tapestry, Hiei Getsuei and Atago Yūshō, hanging on the east and west walls of the room.

Highlights

Tapestries: Hiei Getsuei and Atago Yūshō

The tapestries were designed by the nihonga artist Hakozaki Mutsumasa and woven using tsuzure-ori (polychrome tapestry) technique. Hiei Getsuei depicts moonlight on Mt. Hiei, just to the east of Kyoto, while Atago Yūshō portrays the sun setting behind Mt. Atago, a peak to Kyoto's west.

A photo of the ceiling in Yubae-no-Ma. The lighting is indirect, and gives off a soft light. The ceiling is divided into rectangular grids.

Illumination Design

The illumination is directed against the ceiling, indirectly brightening the room through reflected light. During cocktail parties, the lighting can be switched to produce a starry sky or firefly effect.

Of the four display stands, each representing a different season with themes of

Decorative Cabinets in Sanshisuimei-Motif

The makie (lacquerwork) and raden (mother-of-pearl inlay) on the decorative cabinets were supervised by the Living National Treasure, Kitamura Shōsai, and crafted by his son, Kitamura Shigeru, with a theme inspired by Sanshisuimei, the beauty of a tranquil and scenic natural landscape.

A close-up photo of the carpet in Yubae-no-Ma. There are white stripes in the carpet. If you look closely at these stripes, you can see bead-like shapes made to suggest the pebbles of a pond. Further examination of the pattern in the carpet reveals the shapes of white clouds floating in a pond.

Dantsu Carpet in Water Motif

The hand-woven dantsu carpet is designed with a wave-inspired pattern in shades of celadon.

A photo of the garden, as viewed from the corridor in Yubae-no-Ma. Rattan blinds are hung across the top of the photo. Straight ahead, across the garden, a bridge crosses between the eastern and western eaves against a background of blue skies. The pond is fenced in by the building around it, and blue skies are reflected within it. Trees grow lush and green here.

The Garden View from the Corridor

Many of the stones in the garden are repurposed from older materials that once played important roles at another time. The evergreen grass called Nebikigusa is planted in the pond to evoke the image of peaceful Japanese rice fields.

For those who wish to pay a visit