Mark Judge
on July 17, 2022
15 views
A tsukubai is to be found in a tea garden and is formally composed of a wash basin, chouzubachi and Yaku-ishi, a number of special purpose stones. It has a background and often a garden lantern, tourou or more often as ishi doro. The term tsukubai refers to the whole of this composition as such. The tsukubai or crouching bowl, literally "stooping basin" was designed to humble guest and create the right state of mind before guests joined the tea ceremony. Many Japanese gardens today have both the chozubachi and tsukubai and are often fed with water from a bamboo spout called "kakei".
In Japan, a tsukubai is a washbasin provided at the entrance to holy places for visitors to purify themselves by the ritual washing of hands and rinsing of the mouth. This type of ritual cleansing is the custom for guests attending a tea ceremony or visiting the grounds of a Buddhist temple. The name originates from the verb tsukubau meaning "to bow down", an act of humility.
Tsukubai are usually of stone, and are often provided with a small scoop, laid across the top, ready for use. A supply of water is provided via a bamboo pipe called a kakei.
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Sanzenin Temple is the main attraction of the rural town of Ohara, which is located about an hour north of central Kyoto. The approach from Ohara bus stop to Sanzenin is lined with shops and restaurants catering to temple visitors, and there are a number of smaller temples in the vicinity. Sanzenin Temple itself has large temple grounds and a variety of buildings, gardens and walking paths.
Sanzenin is a temple of the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism and was founded by nobody less than the revered monk Saicho who introduced Tendai Buddhism to Japan in 804. Sanzenin is a monzeki temple, one of only a few temples whose head priests used to be members of the imperial family.
A tranquil atmosphere permeates the garden, and there are a number of amusing stone statues that peek out from the moss.
Dimension: 600 x 516
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