Wabi-cha

The sense of ‘wabi’ eventually gave rise to ‘wabi tea’. Murata Shuko, Takeno Shao-oh and Sen no Rikyu dared to create tea rooms in the middle of the city that resembled hermitages, where both samurai and townspeople took off their footwear and entered through small overflowing doors, making the space much smaller. The only decorations were modest tea flowers and tea hangings on the floor. The owner and the guests take their time and tea in the room. The space is generally four and a half square metres. In Rikyu’s time, it could be as small as three quires or as large as two quires. The tea ceremony is a place where the best tea and food are served to one’s heart’s content. This is the basis of chanoyu. Taian is the ultimate example of Japanese culture.