Editing East Asian tea ceremony (section)

===Japan===
{{main|Japanese tea ceremony}}
In [[Japanese tea ceremony|Japan]]ese tradition a tea house ordinarily refers to a private structure called a ''[[chashitsu]]'' ({{lang|ja|茶室}}) designed for holding Japanese tea ceremonies. This structure and specifically the room in it where the tea ceremony takes place is called {{Nihongo||茶室|chashitsu|literally "tea room"}} with its entrance called a ''[[roji]]'' (露地). The architectural space called ''chashitsu'' was created for aesthetic and intellectual fulfillment. In Japan, a tea ceremony is a blend of two principles, sabi (寂) and wabi (侘). "Wabi" represents the inner, or spiritual, experiences of human lives. Its original meaning indicated quiet or sober refinement, or subdued taste "characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, [[Naturalism (philosophy)|naturalism]], profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry" and "emphasizes simple, unadorned objects and architectural space, and celebrates the mellow beauty that time and care to impart to materials."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.urasenkeseattle.org/page22 |title=Chado, the Way of Tea |publisher=Urasenke Foundation of Seattle |access-date=2012-07-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723085014/http://www.urasenkeseattle.org/page22 |archive-date=2012-07-23 }}</ref> "Sabi," on the other hand, represents the outer, or material imperfection of life, also the original nature of things. [[Zen Buddhism]] has been an influence in the development of the tea ceremony. The elements of the Japanese tea ceremony are the harmony of nature and self-cultivation and enjoying tea in a formal and informal setting. The Japanese tea ceremony developed as a "transformative practice", and began to evolve its own [[aesthetic]], in particular, that of  ''"[[wabi-sabi|sabi]]s"'' and ''"[[wabi-sabi|wabi]]s"'' principles. Understanding emptiness was considered the most effective means to spiritual awakening while embracing imperfection was honored as a healthy reminder to cherish our unpolished selves, here and now, just as we are – the first step to ''"[[Satori]]"'' or Enlightenment.<ref>{{cite book |author=Taro Gold |title=Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |location=Kansas City, MO |year=2004 |pages=19−21 |isbn=0-7407-3960-3}}</ref> Tea drinking is used as an aid to [[meditation]], for assistance in [[fortune telling]], for ceremonial purposes and in the expression of [[the arts]].

The Japanese tea garden was created during the [[Muromachi period]] (1333–1573) and [[Momoyama period]] (1573–1600) as a setting for the [[Japanese tea ceremony]], or ''[[chadō]]'' (茶道). The style of the garden takes its name from the [[roji]], or path to the teahouse, which is supposed to inspire the visitor to meditate to prepare him for the ceremony. There is an outer garden, with a gate and covered arbor where guests wait for the invitation to enter. They then pass through a gate to the inner garden, where they wash their hands and rinse their mouth, as they would before entering a [[Shinto shrine]], before going into the teahouse itself. The path is always kept moist and green, so it will look like a remote mountain path, and there are no bright flowers that might distract the visitor from his meditation.<ref>Young, ''The Art of the Japanese Garden'', pg. 118-119.</ref> Early tea houses had no windows, but later teahouses have a wall that can be opened for a view of the garden.