Before the ceremony: the roji
The garden leading to the tea room (roji, «dewy path») is not decoration. It is the first step of the transformation: walking through it, the guest symbolically leaves the outside world behind. Passing the tsukubai, the low stone basin where hands and mouth are washed, closes that transition. Nothing in the roji is accidental.
Entering through the nijiriguchi
The entrance to the tea room is a low opening (nijiriguchi) about 60 cm high, which makes every guest stoop, whatever their rank. Sen no Rikyū designed it that way deliberately: warriors, nobles and merchants all came in the same way.
Contemplating the tokonoma
Before sitting down, each guest goes to the tokonoma, the alcove, to look at the kakemono, the hanging scroll of calligraphy or painting, and the chabana, the flower arrangement. The host chooses them on a specific theme, which conveys the spirit of the ceremony without words. The first conversation is usually about that theme.
The ritual cleaning of the tools
The host cleans each tool in front of the guests, with slow, precise movements. The fukusa, the silk cloth, is folded in set ways to wipe the pieces and the natsume. This is not about removing dirt: everything is already clean. It is an act of mental purification that readies the space for making the tea.
Making the tea
For koicha: the host measures the matcha with the chashaku into the chawan, pours hot water in a slow stream and works it in slow circles for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is a smooth paste. For usucha: less powder to more water, and a fast W whisking of 15 to 20 seconds to raise the foam.
Receiving the bowl
The guest receives the chawan with both hands, rests it in the left palm and steadies it with the right. They turn it twice clockwise before drinking: the main face, the finest one, ends up towards the host, because you do not put your lips on the focal point of the piece. After drinking, they wipe the rim they touched with the kobukusa, the small silk cloth, and turn it back before handing it over.