Japanese Tea House Architecture - Research Paper Example

INTRODUCTION Japanese tea houses are not just houses – they are the exterior of another world. Just as tea ceremonies do not equate to tea time, ortea parties, or having a simple cup of tea in while reading a good book, the tea houses themselves take on greater meaning than merely being an inanimate building with structure and walls. The tea ceremonies are profound and ritualistic. They bring all classes together in one place, as the tea ceremonies are a place where class structures are unknown. The ceremonies themselves are lorded over by masters who learned the art of tea at the foot of other masters. One would think that, with the profound implication of the tea ceremonies, that the tea houses would be elaborate. Actually, just the opposite is true – the houses are austere, simple. The features of the houses afford a way for the guests to hide from the outside world. This is because, as the opening sentence stated, they house another world, another reality. After all, the participants in the house, noblemen, peasant, warrior alike, are all equal. This is indicative of an alternate reality. Also, the ceremonies are a way for the people to leave their real life behind, and concentrate only on the moment. The tea house thus serves the same function as the tea ceremonies themselves – they are a way, if only for a few hours, to destroy class structure and the real world. The Origins of Tea Houses Tea ceremonies came about through the practice of Buddhist Monks who needed to stay awake during their meditations, and later became a part of Zen rituals in honor of Bodhidharma, the Zen monks first patriarch.1 From this, the tea ceremonies became a place where friends gathered to discuss certain objects and their artistic merits, such as various paintings and calligraphy, flower arrangements and the utensils used for these ceremonies. 2 The tea host himself had to be adept at certain knowledge, such as what scrolls to hang during the ceremony, and the meaning of these scrolls, which presumed knowledge of classical literature.3 He also must have been conversant about the articles that are either displayed or used in the tea ceremony: utensils, the flowers, the distinction of the burning incense, the incense burner itself, the dipping ladle, the water heater vessel and the tea container. 4 He must have known the protocol of the ceremony – greeting and conversing with guests properly and the manners and courtesies that must be observed. In short, the tea host, or tea master, must have been cognizant of Japanese culture, as these ceremonies were a distillation of the culture of the Japanese.5 The tea ceremonies have not only been reflective of Japanese culture, but also an influence. Tea ceremonies influenced Japanese art, in particular pottery, and they also influenced the aesthetics of the tea houses themselves, from the adornment in the room, to the gardens, fences and gateways around the house.6 The tea ceremonies were also an egalitarian gathering, in that status symbols and social ranks were not observed among the guests. This leveling of class structure was observed as far back as feudal times, when the Japanese Samurai Warrior, who was highly regarded in the stratified Japanese society, removed his sword upon entering the tea ceremony, and laid his sword down on a special sword rack. This is symbolic, in that “the sword symbolized the samurais rank in society, and by leaving it outside the tearoom he symbolically relinquished that status and put himself on an equal footing with all the other participants in the tea ceremony.”7 By symbolically leveling himself to the footing with the other guests, the Samurai warrior was able to converse freely with the other guests and avail himself to the tea ritual, and its profound meaning. Teaism, as it survives today, owes its lineage to these early tea masters, and Japan owes the genteel nature of its citizens, from the workman and peasant to the leisure classes, to these tea rituals, for the tea traditions have instilled a sense of balance, harmony and etiquette in society at large. Indeed, many western visitors to Japan are struck by the good manner of its citizens, so lacking in their own country.8 The Aesthetics and Construction of Tea Houses The tea ceremonies inevitably brought about the tea house, which is a special house that is designated strictly for these ceremonies. The origins of these tea houses date back at least to the fifteenth century, in which tea masters Murata Juko, Takeno Joo, and Sen no Rikyu had tea houses ranging in size from four tatami mats to a little over two and a half mats.9 Therefore, the Japanese tea houses were symbolic of tea ceremonies, which are, in turn, symbolic of Japanese culture itself. The houses and the ceremonies were constructions of the Japanese artistic society, in that they were meeting places where everybody, from any stratification of society, can gather and converse and learn about the complex rituals regarding these ceremonies, as well as learn and converse about all the artifacts that were used in the ceremony and the architecture of the house itself. Like the ceremonies themselves, the houses had a certain aesthetic code. As the rituals were based upon simplicity, restraint and egalitarianism, so too were the houses that were built for these ceremonies. The typical tea house borrowed its aesthetics from the traditional Japanese farmhouse in its features. Among these farmhouse features are the harioi, which is a bundle of thatching material, with the purpose of preventing rain water from leaking through the roof, placed along the ridgepole at intervals. This feature began purely functional on farm houses, but became a status symbol, as farmers used the number of harioi on his roof to denote his wealth and social status.10 While the tea house borrowed this device, the symbolism of wealth and status was abandoned, and these features became purely functional on the tea houses, owing to the teahouses egalitarian nature. The Shoiken, which is a tea pavilion at Katsura, which is an Imperial Villa situated on the Katsura River in Kyoto,11 is an excellent example of a tea house that is influenced by the typical Japanese farm house. The Shoiken is the largest tea house on Katsura compound, and it is modeled after the Kyoto district farmhouse style, which is known for “neatness and an innate sense of proportion combined with primitive strength.”12 The Shoiken features large rough stones that do not have the refinement of other stones found at Katsura, but are representative of the stones that a farmer might use from his own garden.13 The typical feudal tea house reflected this same humility and egalitarianism. For instance, the typical tea house during this period was characteristically small, usually between two and four and a half tatami mats in size, which was just large enough for five kneeling guests.14 The entrance was small, only about two and a half feet square, and the dimension of the entrance was designed to “inculcate humility in all who enter.”15 The small opening was inspired by Rikyu, who got the idea for the tea house openings when he saw a boat that made one stoop to enter it, and found it very attractive. Isao and McMillan (2002) theorize that Rikyu also liked the boat scene, as a boat is kind of a class leveller, in that all the boats passengers are part of the community, and share the same fate – if the boat sinks, everybody drowns, rich and poor alike, and it creates a scenario where everyone must cooperate, even enemies.16 Hence the common term “all in the same boat”. Therefore the boat symbolizes a coming together of all stratas of society in a common goal. As the tea ceremonies represented this same levelling of class, it makes sense that the vision of the boat would remind Rikyu of the philosophy of the tea ceremonies, and that the boat would be an inspiration for the architecture of these houses. Perhaps another inspiration is the opening of Japanese theaters that also had small entrances.17 As explained below, the theater and the tea ceremonies have something in common, in that both were distractions from the outside world and both transported people into another reality. There were other austere features of the feudal Japanese tea houses, in keeping with the austerity, simplicity and egalitarianism of the ceremonies themselves. The windows were tiny, which only permitted light into the house, while not permitting the guests to look outside the house, thus making the tea house a kind of an “architecturalized cave.”18 The ceiling resembled that of a peasants hut, as it was made with rustic material, such as cedar strips or wood bundles.19 The interior of the typical tea house was completely bare, with plain and undecorated materials, with natural color and texture. A portion of the tea house was hidden by a partial screen comprised of a post with a connecting wall, and other areas were hidden as well, created by an alcove and side wall recessions.20 Thus, the already small tea house was partitioned and separated to make it seem even smaller, which might seem odd, but is “best understood in the context of the tendency to bend an fragment interior space that so profoundly affected Japanese architecture of the feudal period.”21 The partitioning also allowed for a preparation room, or mizuya, in which the tea could be prepared. The mizuya typically had a sink with tea utensils, a water supply, tea supplies and a tea caddy.22 The one area of the house that was not austere was the picture alcove, called tokonoma, and the purpose of this alcove was to display the important objects for the ceremony, such as the calligraphy, the flower arrangement, and the scroll that explains the gathering theme.23 Hence, aside from this alcove, the tea house was very simple, and this design, in its simplicity, achieved a “rare interior beauty.”24 While the austerity of the houses represented the symbolic austerity of the ceremonies themselves, and the levelling of the class distinctions of the participants, the houses also represented the ceremonies in another way. The houses were insular, as the guests were not able to look out the windows, and the non-ostentatious nature of the houses made them seem almost hidden. There were also hidden areas within the house itself, as stated above. All guests commingled, the nobleman, the warrior and the peasant, as one, all equal. The guests who were a part of these ceremonies really have entered another world, where class distinctions were not present. They became sort of recluses from the outside world. All that the guests knew in these ceremonies was the ceremony itself, much like the theater, a possible inspiration for the small opening. In both the theater and the ceremony, the real world is left behind, and all that is important is the moment and what is in front of the individual at that time. Everyday life is left behind for that brief period of time. In this way, the architecture of the feudal teahouses took the form of the ceremonies themselves – hidden, simple, levelling, shutting out the world. Modern-day tea houses share the some of the same features as the feudal tea houses, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 represents the exterior of a modern day tea house.25 As can be shown on the picture, the tea house is plain, with a very small window, and the house itself is out in the woods, although not hidden. The roof has a rustic look to it, much like the Japanese farmhouses. Figure 2 shows the interior of a modern day tea house.26 While quite a bit larger than the feudal tea houses, this modern day tea house has the same look and feel of these earlier tea houses, with its ascetic décor, plain walls and ceiling. Figure 327 shows a bit more of an elaborate tea house, as the door is larger than the feudal tea houses, and so is the window, and the roof does not resemble a Japanese farm house. Nevertheless, in its size and overall simplicity, it is reminiscent of these earlier tea houses as well. CONCLUSION The Japanese tea houses were a way for all classes to come together and lose themselves in the art of the ceremony, if only for a little while. Like a person attending a theater for a distraction from everyday life, while availing oneself to appreciate art and beauty, so too the feudal Japanese used these tea ceremonies to shut out the outside world. Modern day tea houses, with their resemblance to the feudal tea houses, carry on the tradition of simplicity and austerity, as the Japanese society as a whole has carried on the tradition of the tea ceremonies themselves, as shown by the overall gentility and manners of the Japanese classes, from the working class to the upper class. Therefore, the art of tea, and the houses in which the tea ceremonies take place, are symbolic and representative of a much larger ideal. SOURCES USED Braziller, George. Japanese Architecture. New York, NY: George Braziller, Inc., 1963. Gage, Richard, The Classical Tradition in Japanese Architecture. New York, NY: John Weatherhill, Inc.,1972. Inoue, Mitsuo, Space in Japanese Architecture. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace, 1985. Isao, Kumakura and Peter McMillan, “Kumakura: Reexamining Tea,” Monumenta Nipponica, 57, no.1, (Spring, 2002). Johnson, Brian P., “The Japanese Tea House: Rustic Hut That Holds Infinite Space”, Arcade,I9, (Spring, 1992). Morse, Edward, Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings. New York, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1963. Okawa, Naomi, Edo Architecture: Katsura and Nikko. New York, NY: John Weatherhill, Inc., 1975. Sadler, A.L. “Chanoyu, or The Tea Philosophy of Japan: A Western Evaluation.” Pacific Affairs (Oct. 1929) Read More