ll space might otherwise generate. The decorative alcove is a so-called murodoko, as its rear posts have been plastered over. That is true also of the post in the corner behind the hearth. The technique is yet another way of lending a more expansive feeling to the space and of making the design more arresting. Every aspect of the Taian reflects rusticity and yet refinement, revealing a calculated use of natural materials for their inherent decorative qualities. The lattices of the shoji windows, for example, are made not of wood but of split bamboo. The delicate paper is protected on the exterior either by vertical bamboo grills or by the wattle of the wall interior, left exposed for its rustic visual effect. Windows of the latter type are called *censored*ajimado. The positions of the windows have been carefully calculated, as has the height of the transom of the decorative alcove and the alcove's ceiling. The baseboard of the decorative alcove was chosen for its three knots, which again enhances the rusticity of the space. Thus Japanese have tendency to see aesthetic in the contradictions and opposites. And size is the most obvious case in point. There is the great Buddha Hall of Todaiji temple, the largest wooden structure on earth. Nearly fifty meters in height. But also there is tearoom of Rikyu's favorite,which the smallest space on earth in Japan. ...
