Teahouse Rinkaku

Located in Tsurugajo Park, this tea ceremony room was built by Ujisato Gamo, the feudal lord of Aizu, who was a teacher of Sen no Rikyu, to promote the tea ceremony by inviting Shoan, a son of Rikyu, to Aizu.

When Tsurugajo Castle was demolished in 1874, Zenbe Morikawa, a member of the Ishu School of Yisei School, petitioned the government to move the tea house to his home and preserve it, but it was moved and restored to its original location within Tsurugajo Castle in 1990.

In the teahouse Rinkaku, visitors can savor matcha green tea while enjoying the four seasons in the garden.

Tsurugajo Park (Wakamatsu Castle and Kurokawa Castle) began in 1384 when the Higashi Kurokawa-kan was built.

After being associated with Date Masamune, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the castle is known as an impregnable castle, having withstood the offensive of the new government for a month during the Boshin War (1868) in Aizu.

The Tea House Rinkaku is a teahouse located in Tsurugajo Park. After Sen no Rikyu’s suicide, Ujisato Gamo, the feudal lord of Aizu, protected Shoan, Rikyu’s son, and devoted himself to the revival of the Sen family. The tea house Rinkaku was built at that time. After the Boshin War, the teahouse was moved to the castle grounds, but was moved back to its original location in 1990.

Due to Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s Oshu assignment, Ujisato Gamo entered Aizu in 1590 (Tensho 18) and established his rule thereafter (first 420,000 koku, later 920,000 koku).

Ujisato Gamo was the son-in-law of Nobunaga Oda, and was not only known as a brave warrior, but also a representative cultural figure of his time. He was especially devoted to the tea ceremony, and was later considered the first of the seven philosophies of Rikyu.

On February 28, 1591, Sen no Rikyu incurred the wrath of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who took his life and banished the Sen family from the world of tea ceremony. At this time, Ujisato Gamo regretted that Rikyu’s tea ceremony had ceased to exist, so he and Ieyasu Tokugawa hid Rikyu’s son, Shoan, in Aizu to urge Hideyoshi Toyotomi to restore the Sen family. As a result, Shoan’s restoration was approved in 1594, the year of the Bunroku 3 (1594), which is said to be the year of “Shoan’s letter of invitation”.

Shoan returned to Kyoto and rebuilt the Senke. Later, a son named Sotan took over the tea ceremony, and the Senke tea ceremony continued. Three grandsons, Soza, Munemuro, and Munemori, later established the three schools of Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushanokoji Senke, laying the foundation for the modern flourishing of the tea ceremony.

The “Rinkaku”, which is said to have been built for Ujisato Gamo, has been carefully used in Tsurugajo (Wakamatsu Castle) throughout the years. However, when the Aizu domain was defeated in the Boshin War and the Tsurugajo Castle was demolished in the early Meiji period, Zenbei Morikawa (Setsugetsuan Munehisa) of the Ishu School of Aizu Yekei School regretted the loss of his valuable tea house and moved it to his home in May 1872. Since then, the Morikawa family has worked to preserve it for over 120 years.

On September 12, 1990, in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the city’s incorporation, Aizu Wakamatsu City relocated the tea house to its original location within Tsurugajo Castle to preserve for future generations the tea house associated with Ujisato Gamo and Shoan.

Visitors to the tea house, Rinkaku, can enjoy matcha green tea and tororo manju (a Japanese sweet made from grated yam and Japanese yam). Why not take your time and enjoy a cup of tea while enjoying the seasonal changes in nature, such as cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves in fall?