Eisho-no-ma Room
Eisho-no-ma Room looks out onto the Korakuen Noh Stage. Along with the surrounding buildings facing the stage, it was used for entertaining guests and viewing performances. The room is connected by corridors to the surrounding buildings including the Enyotei House and the Kakumeikan Hall.
A building known as the Suitei, built in 1691, became the prototype for what would eventually become the Eisho-no-ma Room. At that time, the tatami room at the Suitei was used for Noh dance performances, as daimyo lord Ikeda Tsunamasa (1638–1714) personally practiced the art. The Eisho-no-ma dates from 1707, when, 12 years after the construction of a Noh stage at nearby Okayama Castle, a stage was added at Korakuen. After suffering severe damage in a World War II air raid, the Noh stage was rebuilt in 1958. The Eisho-no-ma was restored in 1967 along with the Suminagashi-no-ma, another viewing room on the west side of the stage.
The seat on the tatami in front of the tokonoma alcove, where the daimyo lord customarily sat to view performances, directly faces the old pine tree picture at the back of the Noh stage. If other guests were present, they would sit according to their rank, with the lord at the center. Guests invited to watch Noh performances here included the lord’s family members.
When the sliding doors of the Eisho-no-ma Room are open, visitors can enjoy the serene sight of Kayonoike Pond with the Nishikigaoka woods in the background.