🗺️ Shima Geisha House国指定重要文化財 志摩

The Shima Geisha House was built in 1820 and stands on Higashi Chaya Street, preserving the original state of the building to this day and open for visits. In the Kanazawa tea house culture, there is a tradition of "refusing first-time visitors." Even today, without an introduction from a regular customer, one cannot enter, making this place an important facility for tourists to understand tea house culture. The second floor features a unique structure typical of tea houses, without lockers, shelves, or partition walls, focusing on the elegant architecture that centers around geisha performances. Guests sit with their backs to the sleeping area, facing the waiting room, where they can enjoy dance or skill performances as soon as the paper doors are opened. Visitors can explore the various rooms on the first and second floors, appreciating the meticulously designed hospitality spaces. Higashi Chaya Street and Nishi Chaya Street were built in 1820, originating from the 12th lord of the Kaga domain, Maeda Narinaga, who constructed the tea house streets to manage the tea houses distributed throughout the castle town. The so-called tea houses were places where wealthy male merchants and bosses gathered at night to enjoy performances by geisha, including dance and shamisen. It is said that these geisha were well-versed in various skills and education, laying the foundation for "the city of arts, Kanazawa."

In the tea room within the museum, you can enjoy views of the garden and taste traditional Japanese sweets (additional charges apply). To protect cultural properties, bringing carry-on luggage into the museum is prohibited (free coin-operated lockers are available). This is an extremely important historical site for tourists to understand tea house culture.