is a

Momoyama period Momoyama may refer to: History *Azuchi–Momoyama period, the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history 1568–1600 People *Ion Momoyama, Japanese singer and voice actor *Momoyama Kenichi (1909–1991), Korean prince and cavalry office ...

chashitsu ''Chashitsu'' (, "tea room") in Japanese tradition is an architectural space designed to be used for tea ceremony (''chanoyu'') gatherings. The architectural style that developed for ''chashitsu'' is referred to as the ''sukiya'' style (''suk ...

'' (Japanese tea house) located at Myōki-an temple in Yamazaki,

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

. Tai-an was designed by the great tea master Sen no Rikyū in 1582. Sen no Rikyū was named the tea master of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and '' daimyō'' ( feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the C ...

that same year, following

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...

's death, and as Hideyoshi was battling around the area at the time, they often held tea ceremonies there. In fact it is often said that it was built for exactly this purpose. An example of the smallest type of ''chashitsu'', its main layout consists of one ''

tatami A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for train ...

'' mat for the host and another one for the guest. On the north side, where the tea house connects with another building, there is a ''

tokonoma A , or simply , is a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed. In English, a could be called an alcove. History There are two theories about the predecessor of : the first is ...

''. The entrance, on the south side, is said to have been designed larger than usual in order to allow Hideyoshi to enter with his armor on. On the west side there is another one mat area with a shelf for tea utensils, and a tablet with the name of the teahouse hanging near the ceiling.Kirby, John B. (1962). ''From Castle to Teahouse: Japanese Architecture of the Momoyama Period.'' pp. 197-198. Tai-an is the only teahouse definitely attributed to Sen no Rikyū, and as such it is designated a National Treasure. It can be visited with advanced reservations with an entrance fee.

Notes

References

* Fukukita, Yasunosuke (1932). ''The Cult of Japan. An Aesthetic Pastime.'' Maruzen & Co. * Kirby, John B. (1962)
''From Castle to Teahouse: Japanese Architecture of the Momoyama Period.''
Tokyo. Tuttle Publishing.
OCLC 512972
* Anderson, Jennifer L. (1991). ''An Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ritual.'' Albany, New York. State University of New York.

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