Teahouses
There are two traditional-style Japanese teahouses in southeastern North Carolina:
one at Ash’s Japanese Maple Nursery in Hampstead and the other at the New Hanover
County Cooperative Extension Arboretum in Wilmington.
The Ash nursery teahouse was built by Thomas and Nancy Ash as a place for contempla-tion
and relaxation. They welcome visitors to use the house for celebrations and solitude.
Running water can be heard from inside the house, which adds to the relaxing atmosphere.
Sueyoshi helped with the decorations of the house, designing animal accents for the
corners of the roof, such as frogs and fish.
“The teahouse itself is also art — the way it’s built, the way you enter,” he says.
Mark Weekley, horticulture technician for the New Hanover County Cooperative
Extension Arboretum, helped spearhead the teahouse construction at that location during
the redesign of the gardens.
“It was part of the original concept to build an actual Japanese garden in here,” Weekley says.
The design plans were sent back and forth to Japan to ensure accuracy.
“Usually a teahouse has a ceremonial purpose — it’s very symbolic, very structured,”
Weekley says. “Ours holds four mats. It’s authentic.”
The house was built by volunteer carpenters. Weekley says, “There are no nails;
it’s all done with pegs, mortis and tendon.”
And while there are the occasional ceremonies or events in the gardens, it’s mostly
used for the enjoyment of families and the delight of children.”
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Japanese teahouses at the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension Arboretum,
below and top right, and Ash’s Japanese Maple Nursery in Hampstead, bottom right.
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WBM april 2013