Editing Chashitsu (section)

== History ==
The term ''chashitsu'' came into use after the start of the [[Edo period]] ({{circa|1600}}). In earlier times, various terms were used for spaces used for tea ceremony, such as ''chanoyu zashiki'' ({{lang|ja|茶湯座敷}}, "sitting room for ''chanoyu''"), ''sukiya'' (place for poetically inclined aesthetic pursuits [''fūryū'', {{lang|ja|風流}}]) such as ''chanoyu''), and ''kakoi'' ({{lang|ja|囲}}, "partitioned-off space").<ref name="ReferenceA"/> An account stated that it was the [[shogun]] [[Ashikaga Yoshimasa]] who built the first ''chashitsu'' at his [[Higashiyama culture|Higashiyama]] villa in [[Kyoto]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Frédéric|first=Louis|title=Japan Encyclopedia|date=2002|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=0674007700|location=Cambridge, MA|translator-last=Roth|translator-first=Kathe}}</ref> It was described as a small room of four-and-a-half ''tatami'' and was separated from the main residence.<ref name=":0" />

According to Japanese historian Moriya Takeshi in his article "The Mountain Dwelling Within the City", the ideal of [[Wabi-cha|''wabi''-style tea ceremony]] (''wabi-cha'') had its roots in the urban society of the [[Muromachi period]] (1336 to 1573), and took form in the tea houses that townspeople built at their residences and which affected the appearance of thatched huts in mountain villages.<ref>Moriya Takeshi, "The Mountain Dwelling Within the City", in ''Chanoyu Quarterly'' no. 56 (1988). The article is an English translation of chapter II, part 2, of NHK Books no. 459, published by Japan Broadcast Publishing Co., Ltd., in June 1984.</ref> Before this, tea ceremony was generally enjoyed in rooms built in the ''shoin-zukuri'' architectural style, a style frequently employed in tea rooms built today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senshin'an - Japanese Tea Room in the Watson Galleries |url=https://my.wlu.edu/japanese-tearoom |website=[[Washington and Lee University]]}}</ref>

Tea houses first appeared in the [[Sengoku period]] (mid-15th century to early 17th century), a time in which the central government had almost no practical power, the country was in chaos, and wars and uprisings were commonplace. Seeking to reclaim Japan, [[samurai]] were busy acquiring and defending territories, promoting trade and overseeing the output of farms, mills and mines as de facto rulers, and many of the poor were eager to seek the salvation of the afterlife as taught by [[Buddhism]]. Tea houses were built mostly by Zen monks or by ''[[daimyō]]s'', [[samurai]], and merchants who practiced tea ceremony. They sought simplicity and tranquility&nbsp;– central tenets of Zen philosophy. The acknowledgment of simplicity and plainness, which is a central motivation of the tea house, continued to remain as a distinct Japanese tradition in the later periods.
[[File:Golden Tea Room MOA Museum (5).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Golden Tea Room]] ([[MOA Museum of Art]])]]
The {{nihongo|[[Golden Tea Room]]|黄金の茶室|Ōgon no chashitsu}} was a portable [[gilding|gilded]] ''chashitsu'' constructed during the 16th century [[Azuchi–Momoyama period]] for the [[kampaku|Japanese regent]] Lord [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]'s tea ceremonies. The original room is lost, but a number of reconstructions have been made. The Golden Tea Room was constructed to impress guests with the might and power of the regent. This was in contrast to the rustic aesthetics codified under his tea master Sen no Rikyū, although it is speculated that Rikyū might have helped in the design.<ref name="osakacastle.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.osakacastle.net/english/history/index.html |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2013 |website=www.osakacastle.net |publisher=Osaka Castle Museum |access-date=2017-07-19}}</ref><ref name="onlynativejapan">{{cite web |url=http://onlynativejapan.com/2015/07/29/the-golden-tea-room-was-portable-to-practice-gorgeous-tea-ceremonies-anywhere/5540 |title=【Culture】The golden tea room was portable to practice gorgeous tea ceremonies anywhere |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015-07-29 |website=onlynativejapan.com |publisher=Only Native Japan |access-date=2017-07-19 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The room's opulence was highly unusual and may have also been against ''[[wabi-sabi]]'' norms.<ref name="O8MjO6U62xgC86">{{cite book|last=Ludwig|first=Theodore M. |title=Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu|url={{Google books|O8MjO6U62xgC|page=86|plainurl=yes}}|page=86}}</ref> At the same time, the simplicity of the overall design with its clean lines could be seen as within the canon. The extent of teamaster Rikyū's involvement in the design of the room is not known, however he was in attendance on a number of occasions when tea was being served to guests in the room.<ref name="O8MjO6U62xgC86"/>