Shodaibu-no-ma

The Shodaibu-no-ma served as antechambers for visitors to the palace. It is the collective name for three rooms (each a 21-mat room, or approximately 35㎡) that are, in rank order from east to west, the Tora-no-ma (Tiger Room), Tsuru-no-ma (Crane Room), and Sakura-no-ma (Cherry Blossom Room). Each room was reserved for nobles of certain ranks: Kugyo (the highest-ranked court nobles), Denjo-bito (court nobles ranked below Kugyo, especially those permitted to ascend to the Emperor's living quarters), and Shodaibu (court nobles ranked below Denjo-bito, who were not permitted to ascend to the Emperor's living quarters). The name Shodaibu-no-ma originally referred only to the Sakura-no-ma.