臥龍山荘

Garyu Sanso is a villa built by wealthy merchant Torajiro Kawauchi for his retirement, completed in 1907. It stands facing Garyu-buchi, regarded as the most scenic spot along the Hijikawa River. The famous cherry blossoms of Yoshino and maple trees of Tatsuta were transplanted here by Yasunaga Kato, the third lord of the Ozu domain during the Edo period. The property consists mainly of three buildings: Garyuin, Furoan, and Chishian. The main residence Garyuin features a thatched roof and was constructed with guidance from a tea-house architect; the building work was led by master carpenters Torao Nakano (from Ozu) and Kusaki Kunitaro (from Kyoto), while intricate details were crafted by artisans connected to the Senke tea tradition. Delicate and playful design touches can be found throughout, such as bat-shaped handles in Kagettsu-no-ma and openwork carvings with water motifs in Seisui-no-ma. Furoan sits on a cliff above Garyu-buchi and is built in the same “”kake-zukuri”” overhanging style as Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera. Chishian was originally built as a bathhouse, then remodeled into a tea room in 1949.