STORY
SHU-HA-RI
Inherit, refine, and go beyond.
Shu-Ha-Ri is the path of learning and mastery handed down
through Japan’s arts, from the way of tea to the way of the sword.
First, honor the form. In time, break it.
At last, leave it behind and arrive somewhere entirely your own.
A night at Kuromatsu lies at the end of this path.
Shu ― honor the form,
and carry it on.
Some forms have been nurtured over generations.
A spirit of hospitality attuned to this land and its seasons
is where Kuromatsu begins.
- The setting
- The manner
- The words
Ha ― on that foundation, dare to break it.
Because the form has been inherited, we can bring in what ryokan have never had.
For the sake of your comfort, we change what should be changed.
- Attentive service learned from the world’s finest hotels
- Contemporary design, art, and technology
- New lifestyles and values
Ri ― beyond tradition and innovation.
Through honoring and breaking, we arrive somewhere that is neither.
A night found nowhere else, born here in Gion.
- A stay possible only here
- A living bond with this land
- An inn made to last a hundred years
OUR NAME
祇をん 玄松
Our name joins the spirit and tradition of Gion with “Kuro” (玄), the color of all beginnings,
and “Matsu” (松), the pine that symbolizes prosperity.
It carries our respect for this land’s tradition, a new beginning, and a wish for prosperity far into the future.
祇をん
Gion ― spirit and tradition
In this quarter, which has flourished as a geisha district since the Edo era, signboards and noren still write “Gion” with the hiragana を. We took that spirit and tradition into our name.
玄
Kuro ― the beginning of all things
Black, the color from which all things begin, was called gen in ancient times. The deepest, stillest color ― the one before anything is born.
松
Matsu ― a symbol of prosperity
The pine has long been treasured as a tree where gods dwell. Evergreen through every season, it stands for prosperity that endures.