The Making of Tatsumiya - Part 2: Handpicked Originals – The Timeless Craft of Traditional Fixtures
【Introduction】
In June 2025, a new machiya-style guesthouse named Tatsumiya will open in Tenma, Osaka.
Rooted in the merchant culture and townhouse architecture of the Edo period, this guesthouse is far more than a simple reproduction.
We have carefully gathered fragments of history and shaped them into a space that bridges past and present.
Through this series, “The Making of Tatsumiya,” we’ll share why this guesthouse is unlike any other.
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Every Fixture Tells a Story
At Tatsumiya, the fixtures are not just materials—they are fragments of culture, each one chosen with intention, time, and care.
To create this guesthouse, we searched across Japan for original architectural elements from the Edo and Meiji eras—pieces that had truly lived.
A massive kura door that once protected a storehouse.
A latticed sliding door (masugoshi itado) that once defined the face of a townhouse.
A heavy wooden chest with the kind of presence only time can create.
Each item is a one-of-a-kind piece, etched with the craftsmanship and aesthetics of its era.
Within every fixture, there are invisible stories.
Who once slid this door open with care?
How much light and breeze passed through this lattice into someone’s daily life?
Worn edges and soft curves speak silently of generations past—they are witnesses of time.
But these antique pieces cannot simply be placed into a modern space.
Their dimensions, proportions, and weight are unique.
So instead of building the house and choosing fixtures later, we reversed the process:
We built the space to fit the fixtures.
Restoration. Adjustment. Installation.
Each step demanded not only technical skill but a sense of sensitivity—
to give each piece its rightful place, with care and reverence.
This slow, handcrafted process is at the very heart of Tatsumiya’s creation.
The essence of iki, or refined Japanese aesthetics, does not lie in grand displays,
but in the quiet beauty hidden within details.
Through these fixtures, we hope you’ll experience that beauty in stillness that defines the spirit of the machiya.
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And now, we’re inviting you to join this story.
Applications are open for our free pre-opening stay (1 night).
Come and see the next chapter with your own eyes.
