What is a tea room? What kind of place is it? It seems rather ordinary at first glance, so what is it about this place that draws people from all over?

As the name implies, this is a reconstruction of Fumimaro Konoe’s original residence study room and tea room in Kyoto. You may soon notice some things about this tea room that are typical to its nature, as well as some other things that are unique to tea rooms. The background of the Konoe family, having been a part of the Imperial Court for generations, gives this particular tea room a slightly different taste from others.

First off, let’s experience what makes a tea house a tea house. The space behind the entrance to the left, where hosts would entertain their guests with flower arrangements and hanging scrolls is called “tokonoma”. These scrolls will typically contain quotes from Zen or Chinese poetry, selected according to the season or the theme of the ceremony. Similarly, the flower arrangements are selected in the same way. The scroll here says, “Koun Ryusui”, or “floating with the tide.” There is a description of this Zen phrase beneath the scroll, so please take a moment to read it and take in its meaning.

What makes this tea house unique is this tokonoma, as it’s actually positioned higher than usual. It’s not known for certain why this is, but we have some ideas since the residence was of the Imperial Court. Gifts from the Imperial family such as books could be proudly presented on the tokonoma, and as such they wanted to show their gratitude and respect by placing the gifts at a high location.

A tea ceremony is no simple feat-- you need a great range of knowledge to host as well as to participate as a guest. Knowledge of topics ranging from Zen, Chinese poetry, calligraphy, and flower arrangements, to name a few. After seeing the tools and utensils used for brewing tea at the Tokugawa Art Museum, a tea ceremony can appear to be a lot of work. The endless combinations of these elements are what make up a tea ceremony. The simplicity of the tea room itself gives way for the tea master to play freely with the elements of the ceremony, and in doing so they can showcase their skills. As long as there are students devoted to the art of tea ceremony, this art will never die.

One of the essential aspects in every tea room is the “furnace.” The furnace in a tea room is a 30cm square hole built into the floor. During winter, charcoal is set up in the furnace to boil the water used to make tea. To signify which spot in the tatami flooring is used for the furnace, the space in the floor is cut at a perfect square. Knowing this, we want you to try and spot it for yourself. In the Former Konoe Residence, it is hidden under a rug on the left hand side just after the entrance.

Tea master Rikyū compared the sound of a kettle bubbling with boiled water to “Matsukaze,” the sound of wind blowing through a pine forest. As you sit in the tea room waiting for the water to boil and the bubbling sound fills the room, you think, “Oh, it’s almost ready!” This moment of pure joy for the host and guest alike is the real pleasure of tea.