京都は「日本のふるさと」「花の都」と言われ華やかな賑わいをもち、江戸時代から入洛の人々をもてなす花街が発達し、明治・大正・昭和・平成と盛衰を繰り返しながら今日に至りました。
当家「桝家」のある宮川町は、古都の風趣を残している鴨川の東沿い四条から五条の間一帯をさし、寛文六年（一六六六年）に開発されて以来京の花街として発展し、慶長年間には歌舞伎の祖「出雲の阿国」が歌舞伎踊りを演じたところでもあり、今も阿国歌舞伎発祥地の碑が顔見世で有名な「南座」の西側に建てられてあります。現在もこの地にはお茶屋が軒を並べ、芸妓・舞妓たちと共に芸の伝統を保ち続けています。
「桝家」は前身の「大信」から数え現在の当主で八代目、宮川町の中でも由緒正しいお茶屋として文化十三年（一八一六年）の創業以来二百年の歴史をもち、中でもかの菊池寛の「藤十郎の恋」のモデルである「お梶」のいたお茶屋として有名で、今もなお当時のたたずまいを残しています。
当家は宮川筋と鴨川、川端通りに東入口・西入口それぞれの入口を設け、二階 二十八畳四十人の宴会ができる部屋をはじめ大小七つのお座敷をご用意しており、芸妓舞妓のお酌で京懐石を味わいながら京舞いや唄を観賞していただき、芸妓の手ほどきにより「和唐内」「お廻りさん」「野球拳」といった花街ならではの面白い余興も楽しめ、古都京都の風趣を堪能して頂きます。
Kyoto is called the hometown of the Japanese and the city of gaiety. It has achieved today's flamboyant prosperity with the special district that has been entertaining the visitors to the city since the Edo period though it repeated ups and downs in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods.
Miyagawa-cho, where our house "Masuya" is located is the area between Shijo street and Gojo street and along the east side of the Kamo river. This district, that still suggests the olden days of Kyoto, has been developed as the entertainment center of Kyoto since 1666. In the early 17th century called the Keicho period the founder of Kabuki, "Okuni from Izumo" entertained people by her Kabuki dance right at the place where the theater Minami-za, famous for its year-end big Kabuki show called "Kaomise", is standing now and her monument eists on the West of the theater where Kabuki originated. Traditional restaurants called "Ochaya", which literally means a ochaya, line the street and with Geiko (professional Geisha) and Maiko (young apprentice of Geisha) they keep the tradition of Kyoto.
"Masuya" has the long and distinguished history of 200 years since it was founded as "Daishin" in 1816. The present owner of the house is the 8th since the establishment of its business. It is famous as "Ochaya" where a lady that "Okaji" the heroin of the novel entitled "Tojuro's Love Affair" written by Kan Kikuchi, was modeled after once worked and it still keeps the appearance from those days.
The house has the east doorway on the Miyagawa-suji street and the west doorway on the Kawabata-dori avenue and is tow storied with 7 Japanese-style rooms, the biggest of which can seat 40 guests. One can enjoy every bit of traditional atmosphere of the old capital Kyoto by drinking sake served by Geiko and Maiko, enjoying Kyoto-style dishes called Kyo-kaiseki and beautiful dancing and singing and playing such interesting games peculiar to the entertainment district as "Watonai", "Omawari-san" and "Yakyu-ken" taught by Geiko.