, formerly, is an historic ochaya. It is considered an exclusive and high-end establishment; access is invitation only and entertainment can cost upwards of ¥800,000 Yen per night while its fame is often associated with the Chushingura event. The ninth teahouse proprietor is Jirou-emon Sugiura.
History
The Ichiriki is over 300 years old, and has been a major centerpiece of Gion since the beginning of the entertainment district. Like other ochaya in Gion, Ichiriki was a place where men of status and power went to be entertained by Geisha, who distracted guests through dancing, banter, and flirtation. Ichiriki has traditionally entertained those of political and business power. The house is run by the family, and the nameplate on the entrance gate reads, the name of the ninth generation head.
Name
The noren curtain at the entrance features the characters and printed in black on a dark red ground, stacked vertically and touching, so they resemble the character. It is said that the establishment was originally called, but in the play the name was changed by splitting the character into 一 and 力, disguising the name. Due to the play being a major success, this was then adopted by the house itself, yielding the present name.
The Ichiriki plays a part in the events of the Akō vendetta, a historical event described by some scholars as a Japanese "national legend". In brief, its story began near the start of the eighteenth century when a group of samurai found themselves left masterless, rōnins, after their daimyō was forced to commit the ritual suicide of seppuku for the crime of drawing a sword and injuring a man in the Imperial Palace. Kira Yoshinaka had made a series of verbal insults towards the samurai’s master, inciting his attack, but Kira was left unpunished. Because of that injustice, the rōnin samurai plotted to assassinate Yoshinaka for over two years. The rōnin, led by Oishi Kuranosuke, realized they would be monitored for signs they were planning to enact an attempt at revenge. Thus, in an effort to dissuade the suspecting parties and Imperial spies, they sent Kuranosuke to Kyoto. Kuranosuke spent many nights in Ichiriki Chaya, earning a reputation as a gambler and a drunkard. As Kuranosuke gave the appearance of becoming more and more relaxed and unprepared, Kira became less active in his suspicions and eventually relaxed his security. Because the Ichiriki provided the cover to mount an attack, the rōnin were eventually successful in killing Yoshinaka, but were then forced to commit seppuku themselves. This story has been retold numerous times, a genre known as Chūshingura, which has served to increase the fame of Ichiriki Chaya.
As modernization spread through Japan during the final years of the Edo period, unrest spread with it; the age of the shōgun was coming to an end. A series of killings of foreigners had led to tension with the western powers, and this international pressure led many to question the legitimacy of the shōgun’s rule Much of the plotting to overthrow the Shōgun took place in secretive talks within Ichiriki Chaya, disguised as innocent evenings with friends. The plans came to fruition in 1868 when the last shōgun agreed to dissolve the shogunate at Nijō Castle.
Access
Access to the Ichiriki is the height of exclusivity; fierce ties to the ochaya must first be established before one can become a patron. Relationships to the ochaya can often be traced back generations, and only these wealthy honored patrons and their guests, with reservations, are allowed in. For a brief period of only a few nights in 2006, The Ichiriki, along with other ochaya, offered general access to a small number of tourists who were unaccompanied by patrons, as part of a tourism promotion program, at the request of the Kyoto City Tourist Association.
Services offered
Services are as usual at ochaya – maiko and geiko are hired from a geisha house to provide entertainment, consisting of conversation, flirtation, pouring drinks, traditional games, singing, musical instruments, and dancing. The Ichiriki does not prepare food, but customers can order catering à la carte, which is delivered to the house. Guests can also be shown around the house, and see various decorations, such as a miniature display of the forty-seven ronin, from circa 1850. The establishment boasts a highly luxurious interior, such as red lacquered tables, tatami mats and dinnerware as well as a Japanese garden designed to evoke an imperial aesthetic. Guests are scheduled to eat the meals as catered by a nearby luxury restaurant which has its own employees prepare the food in the designated kitchen. In addition, Geikos and Maikos perform dances using tools and paraphernalia oftentimes already stored by the house. The house operates using the traditional incense burner timer, and burns incense to its customers per visit. The proprietor also secretly listens to the time spent by the customer, in order to designate the next course of meal or next round of sake. Exclusive patrons of the establishment also serving as a patron to a Geiko hired here is afforded first level reservation, permitting two invitations per six months, at the discretion of the proprietor. The house oftentimes serves Japanese politicians, princes of the European courts and resident diplomatic ambassadors staying in Japan. Regardless of background, only current patrons may extend an invitation and summon Geisha at the house without any requirement to decline or delay an event. Accordingly, any Geisha or Maiko caught revealing conversational details within the house to outside fellow Geikos may be banned or restricted from being invited to events at the tea house.
Architecture
The Ichiriki is structured in the style of its original traditional Japanese architecture. The structure of the building is mostly wood, and is designed to protect the privacy of its patrons. In fact, the interior gardens are not even visible from outside the complex. Besides sight, the building protects the conversation within with angled screens to prevent eavesdropping at walls.
