さすが100年古民家！淡輪山荘は御手洗まで大正迎賓館の意匠を凝らしている
As you’d expect from a 100-year-old house, even the washrooms at Tannowa Sanso is sophisticated
淡輪山荘は100年古民家だけあって、御手洗いもレトロな汲み取り式。いくら「当時のままが歴史を感じさせていい」と言っても、このままでは現代にそぐわない。リノベーションで変える場所なのですが。
しかしじっくりその造りをみると、大正迎賓館の意匠が凝らされ、風格すら感じさせられます。まずランプシェードが花の蕾を思わせる形。天井は竿縁天井（さおぶちてんじょう）。出入りの戸には黒竹の意匠が施され、元の所有者 竹中源助氏にちなんで、各所に「竹」を効果的に配しています。
そもそも昔は御手洗いをいろいろな名称で呼んでいました。ざっと上げれば、1）厠（かわや）2）ご不浄（ごふじょう）3）憚（はばかり）4）後架（こうか） 5）閑所（かんじょ）6）雪隠（せっちん）7）東司（とうす）。さしずめこの屋敷の端に配置されたこの場所は「閑所」でしょうか。そんな風雅な響きの呼称がぴったりです。御手洗い一つをとっても、富豪の数寄の空間です。この風情をできるだけ残しつつ改修を進めていきたいと思います。
For 100-year-old house, the washroom is of retro pit-style toilet. No water flashing at that time. No matter whatever you say that "it's good to restore everything that the history brought to us", it doesn't fit in with modern 21st century. It's a place that must be renovated.
Nonetheless, if you look closely at the details of the parts, you can see the dignity of the style of the Taisho-era's Guest House. First, the lampshade is shaped like a flower bud. Next, the entrance door is designed with a black bamboo strips inlet on cedar board, and the ceiling is a saobuchi-tenjo (a roofed ceiling with crossing ridges). Bamboo is effectively placed in various places here, in honor of the original owner, Gensuke Takenaka, as bamboo is 'Take' in Japanese.
Talking of washrooms, we have been called them with various names. To summarize, they are: 1) lavatory (kawaya), 2) uncleanliness (gofujo), 3) hesitance (habakari), 4) kimono back hung (kouka), 5) leisure place (kanjo), 6) abbreviation of monk and temple name (setchin), and 7) east end (tosu). Our washroom, located in the west end of the house, Whichever we call this place the lavatory alone is a space that evokes the refined sophistication of a wealthy man. We will proceed with the renovation while preserving as much of this atmosphere as possible.
