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The Genchō-an Tearoom

The Genchō-an Tearoom

The Genchō-an Tearoom is located on the museum’s sixth floor.
It is usually not open to the public except during events held in the Tearoom.

History

1961: The Suntory Museum of Art opened, as did the Genchō-an.
1975: When the museum moved to Akasaka-Mitsuke, the Genchō-an was rebuilt there.
2007: For the museum’s move to Roppongi, the Genchō-an was moved there and expanded.

The Name Genchō-an

Gen, character_gen , is the third character in the first line of the Senji mon (Thousand-Character Classic), a Chinese poem long used to teach the basic kanji characters. Since it is the third character in the poem, it stands for “three,” san. Chō, character_cho , means “bird” and is also read tori. Combined, the two characters thus can also be interpreted as santori, signifying Suntory. When our museum first opened in the Marunouchi district in 1961, Master Tantansai Sen Soshitsu (1893-1963) , the fourteenth-generation head of the Urasenke school of the tea ceremony, gave the tearoom this name.

Architecture

The tearoom named Genchō-an was established when Suntory Museum of Art was founded. A small 4.5 mat room (about 7.5 square meters) was brought to our location from Akasaka-Mitsuke, and a 8 mat room (13.2 square meters) and a newly designed chair-style room were added. On the outside terrace is a waiting area, with chairs and a stone washbasin. When the shoji are opened, one can “borrow” the exquisite view of Tokyo Midtown, regaling our patrons with the delight of a truly tranquil spot in the city.

About Suntory Group

As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group aims to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Sustained by the gifts of nature and water, the Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products, from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, iconic American whiskies Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, canned ready-to-drink -196 (minus one-nine-six), The Premium Malt's beer, Japanese wine Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Oasis, BOSS coffee, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, and V energy drink, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $20.3 billion in 2024. Its 41,357 employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
For more information, visit www.suntory.com and Drink Smart.

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The Genchō-an Tearoom

History

The Name Genchō-an

Architecture

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About Suntory Group

About Suntory Group