C H A S H I T S U

C H A S H I T S U

The Japanese teahouse used exclusively for Chanoyu- tea ceremony. 

The poetic and aesthetically inclined style of tea ceremony referred to as ‘wabi-cha’ is thought to have originated in the Muromachi period (1336-1573).  It was soon after during the Sengoku period that teahouses began to appear.   During this, the social climate was highly unstable; the government had very little effective power. Samurai sought to stabilise the country and promote prosperity.  Zen Buddhism was a common practice among the upper echelons of society. It’s followers sought salvation in the afterlife. Daimyo-feudal leaders, Samurai and Zen monks were primarily responsible for building teahouses.  They sought simplicity and tranquillity, central tennets of Zen Buddhism.  The acknowledgement of simplicity and plainness are considered to be central motivation of a teahouse.  Outside of a structure, lies a small basin for guests to cleanse themselves.  

There is no door but a ‘nijiriguchi’ –crawling in entrance, which requires one to crawl through.  This symbolically represents a separation from the outside world, that is convoluted and complex. 

The room has no furniture.  Windows are small and are covered with shoji- a screen, which allows for natural light to filter in but prevents a distracting view of the outside world. The only decorations present may be a small flower arrangement and and decorative brush-painted scroll that pertains to the specific day. 

‘The Tea ceremony is nothing more than boiling water, making tea  and drinking it’

Sen no Rikyū- first master of tea 1522-1591

A N D  A T  T H E  C R U X, 

The calm atmosphere and regulated process can lead to the phenomenon of ‘flow’ which has been studied in connection with activities such as dancing, climbing and computer games, although markedly differing activities, they share the same possibility to lose an awareness of surroundings and self perception.  This is directly linked with the Zen ideal of Satori, dissolving the boundaries of yourself and your boundaries to achieve unity with the universe.