moss and lichens are shining with a fresh verdure; not a twig, not a leaf have I left on the ground." "Young fool," chided the tea master, " that is not the way a garden path should be swept." Saying this, Rikyu stepped into the garden, shook a tree and scattered over the garden gold and crimson leaves, scraps of the brocade of autumn! What Rikyu demanded was not cleanliness alone, but the beautiful and the natural also. I believe that our feelings through this story is the most effective to understand wabi sabi. Rikyu continued the trend toward simplicity and naturalness, often incorporating folk objects into his tea ceremonies, and the first independent tearoom was the creation of Rikyu. (Fig1) The tea- room consist of, designed to accommodate not more than five persons, an anteroom (mizuya) where the tea-utensils are washed and arranged before being brought in, a portico (machiai)in which the quests wait until they receive the summons to enter the tea-room, and garden path(the roji) which connects the matiai with the tea-room. Each element is necessary and meaningful as an entertainment, as the place we can meditate. For example, The roji was intended to break connection with the outside world, and to produce a fresh sensation conducive to the full enjoyment of aestheticism in the tearoom itself. The nature of the sensations to be aroused in passing through the roji differed with different tea-masters. Rikyu aimed at utter loneliness. Thus prepared the guest will silently approach the sanctuary, and, if a samurai, will leave his sword on the rack beneath the eaves, the tearoom being preeminently the house of peace. Then he will bend low and creep into the room through a small door not more than three feet in height. This proceeding was incumbent on all guests,--high and low alike,--and was intended to inculcate humility. Thus the tearoom reflects many of the Zen doctrines, and all great tea-masters attempted to introduce the spirit ...
