静けさ
A tea house of nine seats,
north of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto.
Ma — the pause
that holds everything.
We did not build this house to serve tea. We built it to serve the interval around tea — the breath before the bowl is lifted, the silence after it is set down.
The room is four and a half mats. The alcove holds one branch. Nothing here asks for your attention, so all of it receives it.
One hour.
Four movements.
-
一
Arrive
Leave your shoes, your phone, your hurry at the gate. Walk the roji path. The stones are uneven on purpose.
-
二
Kneel
The door is low so that everyone — whoever they are outside — enters bowing. Inside, all guests are equal.
-
三
Watch
The host whisks a single bowl. Water, powder, breath. You will hear the kettle. It is the loudest thing in the room.
-
四
Drink
Turn the bowl twice. Drink in three sips and a half. Notice the chip in the rim. It is why we chose this bowl.
One meeting,
one chance.
Nine cushions. Two seatings a day. We hold each hour for the people in the room and no one else — there is no second sitting of the same tea.
- Seatings
- 10:00 · 15:00, Thu–Mon
- Place
- Murasakino, Kita-ku, Kyoto — three lanes north of Daitoku-ji
- Reserve
- By letter or by phone. We answer between seatings.
- Bring
- Clean socks. Nothing else.