Mizuya
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A mizuya (水屋, literally "water room") is the preparation area in a Chashitsu (Japanese tea house) or tea room used for tea ceremony. The area used for preparation during outdoor tea ceremonies is also called the mizuya. The first mizuya was created by sixteenth century tea master Sen no Rikyu for his three-mat tea room known as Fushin-an, which still exists in Kyoto.[1] Mizuya are also mentioned in writings by Sen no Rikyu's contemporary Takeno Jōō.[2]
"Mizuya" can also refer to purificatory fonts at shrines and temples, as well as to storage cupboards for use in kitchens.
At its most basic, as its name suggests, a mizuya provides a location for the performing of tea ceremony-related tasks involving water, such as washing the various utensils and supplies, and boiling extra water for filling and replenishing the pot in the tea room. A mizuya is also used for the final preparation of wagashi that will be served during a tea ceremony (such as cutting them, arranging them on dishes, and so on); for organizing, preparing, and (in some cases) storing the tea supplies; and, in the case of ceremonies performed for large groups of people, for quickly preparing many bowls of tea to serve to guests.
A mizuya is always separate from the main tea room and guest areas, though they may be adjacent; its interior will not be seen by guests.
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[edit] Types of mizuya
There are many styles of mizuya, and the different schools of tea have their own preferred types. The most modest modern mizuya may comprise little more than a hot-plate or electric kettle and several buckets of fresh water, and might be located in a screened-off outdoor area with a grass floor. A fully equipped modern indoor mizuya may rival the best-equipped kitchen, with several sinks with hot and cold running water, an elaborate system of storage areas, cupboards, shelves and worktops, a refrigerator, stove, and microwave oven. In practice, however, most fall somewhere in between.
A typical indoor mizuya is a recess three or four feet wide and two feet deep, possibly with a tatami mat in front of it, equipped with a traditional sink (a long metal tub sunk into the floor and covered with a bamboo grate), several wooden shelves for storing tea supplies, and a board with pegs for hanging ladles and towels. Whatever the style and size of the mizuya, it will be kept scrupulously clean and organized, each school having its preferred order of arranging the utensils.
Where no permanent mizuya is available, a portable mizuya called an okimizuya is used instead.
[edit] Storage
Built-in storage in the mizuya, called dōkō, is typically built of sugi or cinnamon-wood and bamboo. The name dōkō is taken from the boxes in which strolling puppeteers kept their dolls, and was first borrowed by Sen no Rikyu. Mizuya dōkō were first placed on the floor, then hung on the wall, and finally built in.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Sadler, A. L. Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962, 25.
- ^ "Mizuya" in Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.
- ^ Sadler, A. L. Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962, 15.
