is the term for the preparation area in a Japanese tea house ( ') or attached to any venue used for the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

. For instance, the area used for preparation during outdoor tea ceremonies is also called the . The term can also refer to purificatory fonts at

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

s and

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

s, as well as to storage cupboards for use in kitchens. This article, however, focuses on the tea ceremony '.

History

The full development of ''

chadō The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japanese tea ceremony ...

'' (the Japanese "Way of Tea") and advent of the independent structure dedicated to and designed for use for this cultural activity is generally attributed to the sixteenth century tea master

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...

. With the development of a structure dedicated to receiving guests for this cultural activity, there naturally was the need for a "back room" area for the host to make ready the items to be used for the reception of the guests. Before this, during the early development of the Japanese tea ceremony, corners of large reception rooms were partitioned off for tea-making, and there was no specific area or space designed for the preparations. According to A. L. Sadler, the earliest extant example of a space attached to a (room intended for the tea ceremony) that is describable as a exists at the Taian, a designed by Sen no Rikyū.Sadler, A. L. ''Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony''. Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962, 25. are also mentioned in writings by Sen no Rikyū's ''chanoyu'' (tea ceremony) mentor, Takeno Jōō."Mizuya" i
''Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System''

Use

As its name suggests, a provides a location for the performing of tea ceremony-related tasks involving

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

, such as washing the various utensils and supplies, and boiling extra water for filling and replenishing the pot in the tea room. A is also used for the final preparation of ''

wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...

'' that will be served during a ''chanoyu'' function (such as cutting them, arranging them on dishes, and so on); for organizing, preparing, and (in some cases) storing the tea supplies; and, in the case of functions for large groups of people, for quickly preparing many bowls of tea to serve to guests.

Facilities

The most modest modern may comprise little more than a hot-plate or electric

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a device specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a cooktop, hob, and the ...

and several buckets of fresh water, and might be located in a screened-off outdoor area with a grass floor. A fully equipped modern indoor may rival the best-equipped

kitchen A kitchen is a room (architecture), room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a Kitchen stove, stove, a sink ...

, with several sinks with hot and cold running water, an elaborate system of storage areas, cupboards, shelves and worktops, a refrigerator, stove, and microwave oven. In practice, however, most fall somewhere in between. A typical indoor has in it a recess three or four feet wide and two feet deep, the , possibly with a

tatami are soft mats used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about , depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are used for training in a dojo and for competition. ...

mat in front of it, equipped with a traditional sink, the (a long metal tub sunk into the floor and covered with a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

grate called '), several wooden shelves for storing tea supplies, and a board with pegs for hanging ladles and towels. Where there is no permanent built-in with these facilities, a portable unit called an ''okimizuya'' may be used. There are manufacturers of such units. Whatever the style and size of this area, it will be kept scrupulously clean and organized, each school having its preferred order of arranging the utensils.

The special '

Some tea rooms may have a special type of built-in recessed cabinet called . It is built into the wall of the tea room, at floor level, on the side where the host's mat is situated, and has sliding doors so that it can be closed from view of the guests. A plain lacks the water drainage facility that a ' features, and therefore functions differently from a ''.'' Both and ' are innovations meant for the use of hosts who have difficulty walking and getting up and down from the

seiza '' Seiza '' ( or ; ; ) is the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan. It involves a specific positioning and posture in a Kneeling, kneeled position so as to convey respect, particularly toward elders. It developed among samurai during t ...

sitting position, such as the elderly in particular.Kuwata Tadachika, ed., 茶道辞典 hadō Dictionary Tokyodo Shuppan, 1956. 39th edition, 1973. According to A. L. Sadler, the name is taken from the boxes in which strolling puppeteers kept their dolls, and was first borrowed by

. were first placed on the floor, then hung on the wall, and finally built in.Sadler, A. L. ''Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony''. Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962, 15.

References

External links

Image of a small built-in ''mizuya''

Image of built-in ''mizuya'' at Doyu-an

{{Teas Chadō Architecture in Japan Rooms