Model of the Sa-an Teahouse at Japan House London made by sukiya daiku (teahouse carpenters) Abo Akinori san.
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Sa-an Teahouse
茶室「養庵」
Joshinsai style
1742
Gyokurin-in, Daitoku-ji, Kyoto
Konoike Ryei, an Osaka tea enthusiast and disciple of Joshinsai (the 7th-generation head of the Omotesenke tea school), built the Sa-an Teahouse in 1742. Situated west of Nanmei-an - an ancestral tablet hall he constructed at Gyokurin-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji - the teahouse was used to host memorial services held in the form of chanoyu tea gatherings.
Approaching through the rojimon gate to the northwest of the main hall and following the stepping stones, visitors are led to the west-facing exterior of Sa-an. Its gabled roof and deep eaves create the low, crouched appearance of a simple thatched hut.
The interior features a three-tatami layout.
A middle board separates the two tatami mats of the guest area and the single tatami mat for the tea preparation area which includes a recessed alcove (tokonoma). The hearth is set in a recess in the middle board, and a central pillar is erected to form a platform for tea preparation. While the one-tatami space for the host would typically only require a chado-guchi entrance, a secondary kyuji-guchi serving entrance is located next to the alcove to facilitate the host’s work.
The ceiling is structured in three layers: a flat ceiling above the alcove, a makomo or reed-lined dropped ceiling over the tea preparation area, and a hanging ceiling over the nijiri-guchi (small entrance). The most eye-catching feature is the central pillar, a slender pine log with its bark left intact, gracefully curving as it stands. Its playful presence is subtly integrated into the structure of the tearoom.
The dim interior lighting aligns with the Senke tea tradition of subdued brightness with only three windows: two renji-mado (lattice windows) and a shitaji-mado (unfinished lattice window).
Constructed with cedar and red pine, Sa-an reflects the masterful craftsmanship of sukiya carpentry.