Ichiriki Tea House

The Ichiriki Chaya — Kyoto's most famous teahouse, where the loyal retainer Oishi Kuranosuke is said to have drowned his sorrows while secretly planning the revenge of the forty-seven ronin — is one of Gion's most historic establishments, its distinctive red-plastered walls a landmark at the corner of Hanamikoji and Shijo. Nishijima renders this celebrated facade with the architectural precision it deserves: the deep red of the walls against the dark timber of the latticed ground floor, the simple but precisely maintained quality of a building that knows its own significance.