Tea houses were built in the traditional style of Japanese homes at the time. Used specially for hosting the ceremony, these rooms, called "chashitsu", were usually set apart from the home and surrounded by the garden. Inside, the chashitsu is simplistically furnished, with no decoration except for an alcove called a "tokonoma", in which a flower arrangement and a scroll painting called a "kakemono" are displayed. (Source 5) The kakemono could be switched out to depict the theme or mood that the host wished to express at the ceremony. This act itself was a popular hobby and a certain kind of art form that was very popular among Samurai in the thirteenth century. (Source 7)
The door which leads into the tea house has an important symbolic meaning to the ceremony. It is only 36 inches high, thus the guests must bow their heads and crouch upon entering. This humbling gesture represents the reality that all are equal in tea, irrespective of status or social position. (Source 5) Once inside, the floor of the tea house is covered with soft mats woven of can and rush called tatami. All shoes must be removed immediately, because the mats are so fragile.
The door which leads into the tea house has an important symbolic meaning to the ceremony. It is only 36 inches high, thus the guests must bow their heads and crouch upon entering. This humbling gesture represents the reality that all are equal in tea, irrespective of status or social position. (Source 5) Once inside, the floor of the tea house is covered with soft mats woven of can and rush called tatami. All shoes must be removed immediately, because the mats are so fragile.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29072671/6773913.jpg?543)
This is a photo of the traditional Japanese tea house. Notice the flower arrangement inside the alcove (tokonoma) and the scroll painting (kakemono.) All colors are natural and earth-toned, and the light enters through the sheer screens. In the lefthand corner, there are the tools for the tea ceremony, and surrounding them are the delicate mats called tatami.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Museum_für_Ostasiatische_Kunst_Dahlem_Berlin_Mai_2006_017.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Museum_für_Ostasiatische_Kunst_Dahlem_Berlin_Mai_2006_017.jpg