The machiai is where guests wait to be received. The term often refers specifically to the koshikake machiai, the covered bench set within the garden.
Composition
A small shelter within the garden with a roof, walls, a bench, and a tobacco tray, functioning as the place to await the host's signal.
In practice
Guests first put themselves in order in the preparation room (yoritsuki), then walk through the garden to the waiting bench and wait there. The host's signal, given at the middle gate, moves them on into the room.
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
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Related terms
- Chado (The Way of Tea)chado
The Japanese practice of preparing and serving powdered green tea, treated as a lifelong discipline rather than a beverage ritual.
- Wabiwabi
Finding sufficiency of mind within insufficiency and plainness; one of the root concepts of tea practice.
- Ichigo ichie (one time, one meeting)ichigo ichie
The principle that every gathering is unrepeatable, and should therefore be treated as if it will never occur again.
- Nakadachi (mid-gathering withdrawal)nakadachi
The interval when guests leave the room and return to the garden, dividing a full gathering in two.
- Yoritsuki (preparation room for guests)yoritsuki
The anteroom where guests gather before entering, changing from outdoor dress into their gathering kit.