Nazuna Kyoto Gosho
A 7-room boutique ryokan renovated from two large Kyomachiyas, formerly a lumber shop in the neighborhood of Ebisugawa-dori. Historically known as Kyoto’s furniture district, Ebisugawa-dori once flourished as a specialty street lined with stores selling traditional Kyoto-style furniture and doors. Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is an effort to preserve the architecture and history of this particular lumber shop, which had long supported the traditional furniture & fittings culture of Kyoto.
Story
Kyomachiyas (traditional Kyoto townhouses) hold significant historic and cultural value in the Kyoto’s history. In recent years, efforts to preserve and renovate standard-sized Kyomachiyas have become increasingly prevalent in Kyoto. However, larger scale ones are widely neglected and are frequently torn down due to high maintenance and renovation costs, and as a result, have been decreasing year by year. One particular Kyomachiya, along with another abandoned one adjacent to it, were no different and waiting to be bulldozed away. And so began our attempt to protect these large Kyomachiyas.
In its previous life, the Kyomachiya of Nazuna Kyoto Gosho was home to a lumber business, supplying wood to various locales including Ebisugawa-dori, a nearby street that has for generations served as Kyoto’s furniture district. To this day, storefronts along Ebisugawa-dori showcase craftwork ranging from window frames and doors to chairs and tables. However, following its bygone days of supplying lumber, this shop and its large storage house had been left abandoned.
In an attempt to preserve and restore the Kyomachiyas, we connected the two adjacent buildings by creating a Japanese garden and renovated the structures, preserving their original architecture and design where possible. When entering Nazuna Kyoto Gosho, guests are welcomed by a Lobby with expansive ceilings supported by large wooden beams surrounded by “tsuchi-kabe,” or traditional earthen walls. Long unused, local artisans have carefully restored this space to provide visitors a glimpse of its former self as a storage-house for lumber.
- Lobby
- Garden
Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is a “Wagashi” or Japanese confectionary-themed ryokan, with each room designed according to a different Wagashi. The luxury guest rooms “Kashiwamochi” and “Kuzukiri” are each equipped with an outdoor or semi-outdoor bath amidst a private Japanese garden, while the deluxe guest rooms “Kushidango,” “Monaka,” “Yatsuhashi,” “Yokan,” and “Rakugan” feature unique indoor baths. While the original structure and design of the Kyomachiyas are certainly visible, the rooms are also equipped with modern comforts to ensure a comfortable stay.
- Guest room “Kushidango”
- Guest room “Kashiwamochi”
Information
- Opened
- February 2019
- No. of Rooms
- 7
- Operation
- Nazuna Co., Ltd.