PROJECT

The Numazu Club Inheritance Project began at the initiative of Kaoru Hayashi, with the socially beneficial goal to preserve a unique piece of Japanese cultural heritage in Shizuoka Prefecture, share its value with Japanese and foreign people, and pass it down to the next generation. The project was initiated by Kaoru Hayashi, Joichi Ito, Taichiro Motoe, and Teruhide Sato, together with prominent advisors from various fields and GREENING Co., Ltd. in charge of operations.

Numazu Club’s story begins with Shogantei, a 110-year-old sukiya-style building. The interior consists of elegant Japanese-style rooms, a unique 3-tatami-mat tea ceremony room that was relocated from Kyoto, and a lounge featuring a blend of Japanese and Western elements. The structure was designed so that all rooms could be used for tea ceremonies, featuring meticulous attention to detail, low doorways in keeping with Kyoto tradition, and elements such as blown glass and a large wickerwork ceiling that cannot be recreated with modern techniques. Built using rare materials and skills, Numazu Club is a creatively designed and luxurious space. After the war, the club functioned as a hub of Numazu’s political scene, as the ruined city’s only traditional restaurant where guests could be entertained.

After more than half a century, the building began to show its age beginning in the 1980s. The restaurant lost customers and was forced to close when it became difficult to continue operations. In 2008, Masahito Kitayama, the president of the previous operator Project N, committed his support “to preserve the building as a cultural asset for the future.” The new operator restored damaged components while seeking to “preserve everything that could be preserved,” and constructed a villa to accommodate visitors, designed by architect Akira Watanabe, adjacent to the original building. The facility was reborn as Senbonmatsu Numazu Club and was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2015 for its historical and artistic value.

In 2022, after 14 years of management by Project N, the property’s future was entrusted to the Inheritance Project team led by Kaoru Hayashi, Joichi Ito, Taichiro Motoe, Teruhide Sato, and numerous advisors. A new chapter of Numazu Club began in June 2023, carrying on Kitayama’s wish to preserve a piece of Numazu’s culture for future generations, passing down and sharing the value of this historic architectural masterpiece.