Background
The teahouse shown here is part of the Katsura Imperial Villa (Katsura Rikyû 桂離宮), or the "Katsura Detached Palace," an Imperial residence with gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto. The palace originally belonged to the prince of the Hachijō-no-miya (八条宮) family. It is located on the western bank of the Katsura River in Katsura, Nishikyô-ku, about 8km from the main Kyoto Imperial Palace. The villa and gardens are nationally recognized as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
The grounds of the villa are regarded as a notable exemplar of traditional Japanese gardening. Tea ceremony houses within the strolling gardens and the main villa itself are all sited to maximize appreciation of varied foliage and changing seasonal vistas.
Design
There is very little recorded information about the artist Takeda Sadayuki (1906–89). His style recalls the architectural images of Saitô Kiyoshi (斎藤清 1907–97) and Sekino Jun'ichirô (関野凖一郎 1914–88). In particular, the strong linear verticals of the composition, along with the textured roof and receding depth, very much emulate Saitô.
Other impressions are in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (12/210; Acc. No. 1965-103-2); Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire (173/210, acc no. PR.965.60); Syracuse University Art Museum (Object no. 1965.0107); Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina,Greensboro (acc. no. 1987.3943.
References: Roberts, A Dictionary of Japanese Artists, p. 181; Mitchell, Illustrated Books of the Nanga, Maruyama, Shijô, and Other Related Schools of Japan, p. 190.
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