For most of you who have been following my blogs for a while now, it must be a known fact that I have always been fascinated by the Japanese culture.
There is something in their way of approaching things, which sets them apart from the rest of us. Their beliefs, principles, philosophies are always so amusing that it actually makes me wonder the enormous amount of values they have, for almost everything!
I also like to read about Japan even if it goes wayyy back into history. The older, the better :) Since, I am also studying interiors, I can't help but go back again and again to the tea houses and the tea ceremonies.
A tea room or a Chashitsu is a room where the tea ceremony is hosted as per the Japanese culture.
While studying indepth about how the tea houses were made, I was amazed by the planning of the layouts. The division of space was THE most important criteria which decided how it was going to be used by the people for the ceremony. The Japanese used tatami mats which decided the layout of a room which also varied according to regions. The following image is the layout of a 4½ mat tea room.
(4½ mats = 9 shaku × 9 shaku ≈ 2.73 m × 2.73 m) 1 shaku roughly measures around a feet.
What is most interesting to me is how the small details in the interior and exterior practically defined everything. The interiors were planned in such a way which visually segregated the space for the host and the guest/guests. Even the elements in the tatami mat played a crucial role in defining the Japanese etiquettes and beliefs. For example: Stepping on the border of the mat was considered ungraceful and the arrangement of the same also defined the auspiciousness/inauspiciousness of any occassion.
ELEMENTS OF A CHASHITSU
TOKONOMA
A tokonoma is a portion of the room which is slightly raised in comparison to the rest of the floor. It contains a scroll with religious text and/or a flower arrangement. The important thing to understand here is the most important guest is seated, facing away from the tokonoma as a sign of modesty. In the interior space, the ceilings are intentionally made in different levels so as to give the illusion of a large space/small space depending on the area itself.
MIZUYA
This part of the room is concerned with all preparation activities related to the tea making, for example: Boiling extra water required for tea. It should be always kept clean and ready and it generally doesn't contain a furnace. In the past however, the preparation was done on the veranda as there was no place assigned inside for this.
HEARTH
The use of hearth depends on the changing of seasons. It is a little lower than the rest of the floor and is used in winters. In the summer seasons it is covered with tatami mats as it is replaced by a portable stove a.k.a furo.
The entrances for the host and guests are different. A small entrance is opened for the guests in which they have to bend and enter the interior space. This shows that everyone is equal according to the etiquettes of the ceremony and it gracefully separates the outside world from the inside. During the ceremony, everyone sits in the traditional way of seating which is known as seiza style. Shoji screens are used as doors and partitions to subtly reduce but maintaining adequate light and ventilation in the room.
There is much more to the architecture along with the tea ceremony which is associated deeply with it's history. I am currently trying to understand what the concept of wabi-sabi is and how it affected the lifestyle of the Japanese and also the tea ceremony. Will be back with more information of the same!
Till then..
Keep Creating
Lots of Love <3