5  ROJI  (Tea Garden)

Rikkyu (1521-1591) developed the roji - a garden of paths lanterns and gravel, around the Tea House, a reconstruction of a hermit's cottage, where the ceremony of Tea had been held since the 15th century.  The Buddhist monks had evolved the Tea Ceremony as a ritual to cleanse the mind and evoke inner peace.
This Tea Garden has a well, (where the Tea Master would get water for the making of tea), a waiting bench (KOSHIKAKE) where guests would wait until greeted by the host, and a TSUKUBAI (water basin) where guests would wash their hands prior to the ceremony. The TeaHouse itself has maintained its simple style of wood and thatch, with plain plastered walls, sparse furnishing, and floor matting.