View source for Chashitsu

{{short description|Japanese tea house}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
[[File:Joan in Urakuen, Gomonsaki Inuyama Inuyama City 2023.jpg|thumb|''[[Jo-an]]'' is a ''chashitsu'' (tea house) and inscribed as a [[National Treasure of Japan|National Treasure]].]]
[[File:Tea house in a woodland, Itsuku-Shima, Japan LCCN2001705665.tif|thumb|{{transliteration|ja|Chashitsu}} in its garden setting, [[Itsuku-shima]], {{Circa|1900}}]]
'''''Chashitsu''''' ({{lang|ja|茶室}}, "tea room") in [[Japan]]ese tradition is an architectural space designed to be used for [[Japanese tea ceremony|tea ceremony]] (''chanoyu'') gatherings.<ref>''A Chanoyu Vocabulary: Practical Terms for the Way of Tea'', entry for "chashitsu". Tankosha Publishing Co., 2007.</ref>

The architectural style that developed for ''chashitsu'' is referred to as the ''sukiya'' style (''[[sukiya-zukuri]]''), and the term ''[[Sukiya (style)|sukiya]]'' ({{lang|ja|数奇屋}}) may be used as a synonym for ''chashitsu''.<ref>''A Chanoyu Vocabulary'', entry for "sukiya".</ref> Related Japanese terms are ''chaseki'' ({{lang|ja|茶席}}), broadly meaning "place for tea", and implying any sort of space where people are seated to participate in tea ceremony,<ref>''Kōjien'' Japanese dictionary, entry for "chaseki".</ref> and ''[[chabana]]'', "tea flowers", the style of flower arrangement associated with the tea ceremony.

Typical features of ''chashitsu'' are ''[[shōji]]'' windows and sliding doors made of wooden lattice covered in a translucent [[washi|Japanese paper]]; ''[[tatami]]'' mat floors; a ''[[tokonoma]]'' alcove; and simple, subdued colours and style. The most typical floor size of a ''chashitsu'' is 4.5 tatami mats (<!--2 tatami = 1 tsubo-->{{convert|2.25|tsubo|m2 sqft|disp=out}}).<ref name="ReferenceA">''Kōjien'' Japanese dictionary, entry for 'chashitsu'.</ref>

== Definition ==
[[File:Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Dahlem Berlin Mai 2006 017.jpg|thumbnail|Interior view of a tea room]]
[[File:Taian Myokian.jpg|thumb|''Tai-an'' ({{lang|ja|待庵}}), the only extant ''chashitsu'' designed by [[Sen no Rikyū]], representing his concept of ''wabi-cha''. Located in Myōki-an in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto (National Treasure)]]

In Japanese, free-standing structures specifically designed for exclusive tea ceremony use, as well as individual rooms intended for tea ceremony, are both referred to as ''chashitsu''. The term may be used to indicate the tea room itself where the guests are received, or that room and its attached facilities, even extending to the [[roji]] garden path leading to it.<ref>''A Chanoyu Vocabulary'', entry for "chashitsu".</ref> In English, a distinction is often made between free-standing structures for tea, referred to as ''tea houses'', and rooms used for tea ceremony incorporated within other structures.

''Tea houses'' are usually small, simple wooden buildings. They are located in the gardens or grounds of private homes. Other common sites are the grounds of temples, museums, and parks. The smallest tea house will have two rooms: the main room where the host and guests gather and tea is served, and a ''[[mizuya]]'', where the host prepares the sweets and [[List of Japanese tea ceremony equipment|equipment]]. The entire structure may have a total floor area of only three tatami mats.

Very large tea houses may have several tea rooms of different sizes; a large, well-equipped ''mizuya'' resembling a modern kitchen; a large waiting room for guests; a welcoming area where guests are greeted and can remove and store their shoes; separate toilets for men and women; a changing room; a storage room; and possibly several anterooms as well as a garden with a ''roji'' path, an outdoor waiting area for guests and one or more [[outhouse|privies]].

''Tea rooms'' are purpose-built spaces for holding tea gatherings. They may be located within larger tea houses, or within private homes or other structures not intended for tea ceremony. A tea room may have a floor area as small as 1.75 tatami mats (one full tatami mat for the guests plus a tatami mat called a ''daime'' ({{lang|ja|台目}}), about 3/4 the length of a full tatami mat, for the portable brazier (''furo'') or sunken hearth (''ro'') to be situated and the host to sit and prepare the tea); or as large as 10 tatami mats or more; 4.5 mats is generally considered the ideal in modern tea rooms. A tea room will usually contain a ''tokonoma'' and a sunken hearth for preparing tea in the winter.

== History ==
The term ''chashitsu'' came into use after the start of the [[Edo period]] ({{circa|1600}}). In earlier times, various terms were used for spaces used for tea ceremony, such as ''chanoyu zashiki'' ({{lang|ja|茶湯座敷}}, "sitting room for ''chanoyu''"), ''sukiya'' (place for poetically inclined aesthetic pursuits [''fūryū'', {{lang|ja|風流}}]) such as ''chanoyu''), and ''kakoi'' ({{lang|ja|囲}}, "partitioned-off space").<ref name="ReferenceA"/> An account stated that it was the [[shogun]] [[Ashikaga Yoshimasa]] who built the first ''chashitsu'' at his [[Higashiyama culture|Higashiyama]] villa in [[Kyoto]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Frédéric|first=Louis|title=Japan Encyclopedia|date=2002|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=0674007700|location=Cambridge, MA|translator-last=Roth|translator-first=Kathe}}</ref> It was described as a small room of four-and-a-half ''tatami'' and was separated from the main residence.<ref name=":0" />

According to Japanese historian Moriya Takeshi in his article "The Mountain Dwelling Within the City", the ideal of [[Wabi-cha|''wabi''-style tea ceremony]] (''wabi-cha'') had its roots in the urban society of the [[Muromachi period]] (1336 to 1573), and took form in the tea houses that townspeople built at their residences and which affected the appearance of thatched huts in mountain villages.<ref>Moriya Takeshi, "The Mountain Dwelling Within the City", in ''Chanoyu Quarterly'' no. 56 (1988). The article is an English translation of chapter II, part 2, of NHK Books no. 459, published by Japan Broadcast Publishing Co., Ltd., in June 1984.</ref> Before this, tea ceremony was generally enjoyed in rooms built in the ''shoin-zukuri'' architectural style, a style still frequently employed today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senshin'an - Japanese Tea Room in the Watson Galleries |url=https://my.wlu.edu/japanese-tearoom |website=[[Washington and Lee University]]}}</ref>

Tea houses first appeared in the [[Sengoku period]] (mid-15th century to early 17th century), a time in which the central government had almost no practical power, the country was in chaos, and wars and uprisings were commonplace. Seeking to reclaim Japan, [[samurai]] were busy acquiring and defending territories, promoting trade and overseeing the output of farms, mills and mines as de facto rulers, and many of the poor were eager to seek the salvation of the afterlife as taught by [[Buddhism]]. Tea houses were built mostly by Zen monks or by ''[[daimyō]]s'', [[samurai]], and merchants who practiced tea ceremony. They sought simplicity and tranquility&nbsp;– central tenets of Zen philosophy. The acknowledgment of simplicity and plainness, which is a central motivation of the tea house, continued to remain as a distinct Japanese tradition in the later periods.
[[File:Golden Tea Room MOA Museum (5).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Golden Tea Room]] ([[MOA Museum of Art]])]]
The {{nihongo|[[Golden Tea Room]]|黄金の茶室|Ōgon no chashitsu}} was a portable [[gilding|gilded]] ''chashitsu'' constructed during the 16th century [[Azuchi–Momoyama period]] for the [[kampaku|Japanese regent]] Lord [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]'s tea ceremonies. The original room is lost, but a number of reconstructions have been made. The Golden Tea Room was constructed to impress guests with the might and power of the regent. This was in contrast to the rustic aesthetics codified under his tea master Sen no Rikyū, although it is speculated that Rikyū might have helped in the design.<ref name="osakacastle.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.osakacastle.net/english/history/index.html |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2013 |website=www.osakacastle.net |publisher=Osaka Castle Museum |access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref><ref name="onlynativejapan">{{cite web |url=http://onlynativejapan.com/2015/07/29/the-golden-tea-room-was-portable-to-practice-gorgeous-tea-ceremonies-anywhere/5540 |title=【Culture】The golden tea room was portable to practice gorgeous tea ceremonies anywhere |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015-07-29 |website=onlynativejapan.com |publisher=Only Native Japan |access-date=2017-07-19 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The room's opulence was highly unusual and may have also been against ''[[wabi-sabi]]'' norms.<ref name="O8MjO6U62xgC86">{{cite book|last=Ludwig|first=Theodore M. |title=Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu|url={{Google books|O8MjO6U62xgC|page=86|plainurl=yes}}|page=86}}</ref> At the same time, the simplicity of the overall design with its clean lines could be seen as within the canon. The extent of teamaster Rikyū's involvement in the design of the room is not known, however he was in attendance on a number of occasions when tea was being served to guests in the room.<ref name="O8MjO6U62xgC86"/>

== Architecture ==
[[File:Meimeian08n4592.jpg|right|thumb|''Nijiriguchi'' entrance of a tea house]]

The ideal free-standing tea house is surrounded by a small [[Japanese garden|garden]] having a path leading to the tea room. This garden is called ''roji'' ({{lang|ja|露地}}, "dewy ground") and is divided into two parts by a gate called ''chumon''.<ref name=":0" /> Along the path is a waiting bench for guests and a privy. Aside from its own garden, the ''chashitsu'' is arranged – along with other pavilions such as the ''zashiki'', ''oku no zashiki'', and ''hanare zashiki'' – around a larger primary garden.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Fieve|first1=Nicolas|title=Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo|last2=Waley|first2=Paul|date=2003|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|isbn=9780700714094|location=Oxon|pages=89}}</ref>

There is a stone water-basin near the tea house, where the guests rinse their hands and mouths before entering the tea room through a low, square door called ''nijiriguchi'',<ref name=":0" /> or "crawling-in entrance", which requires bending low to pass through and symbolically separates the small, simple, quiet inside from the crowded, overwhelming outside world. The ''nijiriguchi'' leads directly into the tea room.

The tea room has a low ceiling and no furniture: the guests and host sit ''[[seiza]]''-style on the floor. All materials used are intentionally simple and rustic. Besides the guests' entrance, there may be several more entrances; at minimum there is an entrance for the host known as the ''sadōguchi'', which allows access to the ''mizuya''. Windows are generally small and covered with [[shōji]], which allows natural light to filter in. The windows are not intended to provide a view to the outside, which would detract from the participants' concentration. There is a sunken hearth ({{lang|ja|炉}} ''ro'') located in the tatami adjacent to the host's tatami, for use in the cold months; this hearth is covered with a plain tatami and is not visible in the warm months, when a portable brazier ({{lang|ja|風炉}} ''furo'') is used instead.

There will be a ''[[tokonoma]]'' (scroll alcove) holding a scroll of calligraphy or brush painting, and perhaps a small, simple, flower arrangement called a ''chabana'' ({{lang|ja|茶花}}), but no other decoration.

[[File:Tearoom layout.svg|right|thumb|Layout of an ideal 4.5 tearoom with tokonoma and mizuya dōko]]
[[File:Ajg 0136.jpg|right|thumb|View of a similar interior, with some utensils]]

''Chashitsu'' are broadly classified according to whether they have a floor area larger or smaller than 4.5 tatami, a differentiation which affects the style of ceremony that can be conducted, the specific type of equipment and decoration that can be used, the placement of various architectural features and the hearth, and the number of guests that can be accommodated. ''Chashitsu'' which are larger than 4.5 mats are called ''hiroma'' ("big room"), while those that are smaller are called ''koma'' ("small room"). ''Hiroma'' often are [[shoin]] style rooms, and for the most part are not limited to use for ''chanoyu.''

Other factors that affect the tea room are architectural constraints such as the location of windows, entrances, the sunken hearth and the tokonoma, particularly when the tea room is not located within a purpose-built structure. The other factors that influence the construction of the ''chashitsu'' as a space in the ''[[iemoto]]'' are the [[iconography]] of the past and the memory of particular individuals.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cox|first=Rupert|title=The Zen Arts: An Anthropological Study of the Culture of Aesthetic Form in Japan|date=2003|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|isbn=0700714758|location=New York|pages=160}}</ref>

Not all tea rooms can be made to conform to the ideal seen in the image.

== Typical names ==

It is usual for ''chashitsu'' to be given a name after their owners or benefactors. Names usually include the character for "[[hut (dwelling)|hut]]", "hall", or "arbour", and reflect the spirit of rustic simplicity of the tea ceremony and the teachings of Zen Buddhism. Characteristic names include:

* Mugai-an ({{lang|ja|無外庵}}, Introvert Hut)
* Mokurai-an ({{lang|ja|黙雷庵}}, Silent Thunder Hut)
* Tōkyū-dō ({{lang|ja|東求堂}}, East-Seeking Hall) (note: the {{lang|ja|東求堂}} at [[Ginkaku-ji]] is pronounced Tōgu-dō, and is a private Buddhist hall, not a chashitsu)
* Shō-an ({{lang|ja|松庵}}, Pine Hut)
* Ichimoku-an ({{lang|ja|一木庵}}, One Tree Hut)
* Rokusō-an ({{lang|ja|六窓庵}}, Six Window Hut)
* Bōji-tei ({{lang|ja|忘路亭}}, Forgotten Path Arbour)

== Notable ''chashitsu'' ==
* ''[[Tai-an]]'' ({{lang|ja|待庵}}) built in 1582, is the only extant ''chashitsu'' designed by [[Sen no Rikyū]], representing his concept of ''wabi-cha''. Located at [[Myōki-an]] temple in [[Ōyamazaki, Kyoto|Yamazaki]], [[Kyoto]]. Designated a [[List of National Treasures of Japan (residences)|National Treasure]].
* ''[[Jo-an]]'' ({{lang|ja|如庵}}) was built in [[Kyoto]] in 1618 by Urakusai, the younger brother of [[Oda Nobunaga]], and was moved to [[Inuyama, Aichi|Inuyama]] in [[Aichi]] in 1972. It was designated a [[National Treasures of Japan|National Treasure]] in 1951.
* ''Konnichi-an'' ({{lang|ja|今日庵}}, Today Hut) built by [[Sen Sōtan]] at what later became known as the [[Urasenke]] Konnichian estate. The floor space is composed of but one full tatami, a 3/4-size ''daime'' tatami, and a wooden board at the head of the ''daime'' tatami. There is no recessed ''tokonoma''.
* ''Fushin-an'' ({{lang|ja|不審庵}}, Doubting Hut) by [[Sen no Rikyū]]. It was moved by his son [[Sen Shōan]] to the [[Omotesenke]] estate. 
* ''Zangetsu-tei'' ({{lang|ja|残月亭}}, Morning Moon Arbour) belongs to the Omotesenke school in Kyoto
* ''San-meiseki'' ({{lang|ja|三名席}}, Three Famous Tearooms):<ref>{{Google books|MorTAgAAQBAJ|Chado the Way of Tea: A Japanese Tea Master's Almanac|page=163|keywords=San-meiseki|text=|plainurl=}}</ref>
** ''[[Sarumen Chaseki]]'' ({{lang|ja|猿面}}, Monkey face tea place<ref>{{Google books|XiqODwAAQBAJ|The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-no-Yu and the Zen Art of Mindfulness|page=236|keywords=Sarumen|text=|plainurl=}}</ref>) at [[Nagoya Castle]], former National Treasure until its destruction in 1945, rebuilt in 1949<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://goodnews-japan.net/news/mokuzou/2008/06/05/142|title = 木造都市の夜明け : 天下三名席『猿面茶席』－名古屋城における古材再利用| date=5 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nagoyalikeitis.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/what-to-look-for-a-special-viewing-of-tea-houses/|title = Tea Houses|date = 26 March 2017}}</ref>  
** ''Yatsu-mado no seki'' ({{lang|ja|八窓の席}}, Eight Windows)<ref>http://image.oml.city.osaka.lg.jp/archive/detail.do;jsessionid=457EA62DB1BAEE0A3C3890DD35521FFE?&oml=0080349782&pNo=2&id=3218# {{Dead link|date=April 2024|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> or ''Hasō-an'' ({{lang|ja|八窓庵}}) at [[Isshin-ji]] in [[Osaka]], designed by Lord [[Kobori Enshū]] (1579–1647)<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2022 |title=79．一心寺（いっしんじ） |trans-title=79. Isshinji Temple |url=https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/kensetsu/page/0000009757.html |website=city.osaka.lg.jp |language=ja}}</ref>
** ''[[Rokusō-an]]'' ({{lang|ja|六窓庵}}, Six Window Hut) from [[Kōfuku-ji]] in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], now in the gardens of the [[Tokyo National Museum]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2015 |title=Rokusoan Teahouse (Rokusoan) - the Magic of Japanese Masterpieces |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/audio/j_art-20150618-1/ |website=[[NHK World-Japan]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=六窓庵とは |trans-title=What is Rokusoan? |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%85%AD%E7%AA%93%E5%BA%B5-879272 |website=[[Kotobank]] |language=ja}}</ref>
* ''Shōkin-tei'' ({{lang|ja|松琴亭}}) at [[Katsura Imperial Villa]] in Kyoto<ref>{{Cite web |title=松琴亭とは |trans-title=What is Shokintei? |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9D%BE%E7%90%B4%E4%BA%AD-1545259 |website=[[Kotobank]] |language=ja}}</ref>
* [[Golden Tea Room]] constructed under the regent [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] (1537–1598)
* ''[[Glass Tea House - KOU-AN]]'' ({{lang|ja|光庵}}, Light Hut) designed by [[Tokujin Yoshioka]] (b. 1967) 
* ''Ki-an'' bamboo tea house<ref>{{Cite web |title=竹の茶室 帰庵 - KIAN-Mobile Bamboo Teahouse- 京都・紫野 山中工務店 |trans-title=Bamboo Tea House Kian - KIAN-Mobile Bamboo Teahouse- Kyoto/Shino Yamanaka Construction |url=http://www.sukiya-kyoto.com/kian/ |website=sukiya-kyoto.com |language=ja}}</ref>

{{-}}
<gallery perrow="7" widths="170px" heights="170px">
File:Tokyo National Museum Rokusoan P3303189.jpg|Rokusō-an, formerly from Kōfuku-ji in Nara 
File:Shokin-tei.jpg|Interior of Shōkin-tei at [[Katsura Imperial Villa]] 
File:2002 kenrokuen hanami 0123.jpg|Yugao-tei in [[Kanazawa, Ishikawa]]
KoudaijiIhoan.jpg|Iho-an at [[Kōdai-ji]], Kyoto
File:Rokuonji Sekkatei.jpg|Sekka-tei at [[Rokuon-ji]] 
File:Kourinin Tea House (Jikouin).jpg|Kōrin-an at Jikō-in, Nara
File:Shōkō-ken.jpg|Shōkō-ken
Isome-shi Garden13s5s4410.jpg|Isome-shi 
File:Kaisuian Interior window crop.jpg|Kaisuian: stacked ''shikishi'' windows
File:170923 Kodaiji Kyoto Japan38n.jpg|Shigure-tei is a unique two storied ''chashitsu'', at [[Kōdai-ji]] in Kyoto.
File:Glass Tea House − KOU-AN.jpg|''[[Glass Tea House - KOU-AN]]''
</gallery>

== See also ==
* ''[[Ochaya]]'' – a [[geisha]] entertainment "tea house"
* [[List of teahouses]]
* [[Tea culture]]
* [[Teahouse]]

== References ==
<references/>

== Further reading ==
*''Introduction to Oriental Civilizations: Sources of the Japanese Tradition''. Columbia University Press: New York 1958
*Varley, Paul. ''Japanese Culture''. 4th ed. University of Hawaii Press. 2000
*Murphey, Rhoads. ''East Asian: A New History''. 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers 2001

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/p/location-japanese-tea-house.php?s=state Japanese Tea House Locations by State]
*[https://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/index.php?com=location&c=tea&d=365 Japanese Tea House Locations by Map]
*[http://www.terebess.hu/tea/teakunyho.html Comprehensive coverage with photos and diagrams]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090514041838/http://www.geocities.jp/gobken89/t-050508.html Japanese web page containing nice photos of Rikyū's Tai-an tea room]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110725194320/http://www.kippo.or.jp/e/culture/build/naka.html General explanation of tea room and sukiya architecture in Japanese culture]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100130185156/http://www.pem.org/library/collections/offen The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, an important research collection in regards to chashitsu.]

{{Japanese architectural elements}}
{{Teas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chashitsu| ]]
[[Category:Garden features]]