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Tour the House
 Shofuso Exterior
The basic structure of the house is strong but lightweight hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood, with no structural nails, in the form of a raised platform with a roof supported by pillars. The floors are covered by thick mats called tatami and the roof is composed of layer upon layer of hinoki bark. Removable wood and paper screens form most of the exterior and interior walls, providing a flexible floor plan and abundant views of the garden.
In addition to the shoin rooms, the house features a traditional kitchen with wood and dirt floors, a wood-fired cooking stove, and a traditional cabinet. A sedan chair (kago) in the kitchen provides an idea of the way Japanese people traveled in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.
 A wooden bridge connects the main building to a tea house complex. The chashitsu is only four and one-half mats in size (about nine feet square), forming an intimate space for serving ceremonial tea to three to five guests. A small preparation room adjoins it, along with a replica of a traditional Japanese wooden bath and (non-functional) toilet facilities.
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Friends of the Japanese House and Garden
Ohio House, 4700 States Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Phone: 215-878-5097 Email: info@shofuso.com
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