A Chaji in Early Spring — Part 2

The Roji — A Path to Quiet the Mind

— Preparing the Heart Before the Tea Room

Today I am writing about the the tea gathering, chaji, I hosted on March 10th, at imakumano-kannonji, Kyoto, Japan. Here is the quiet note by Gallery Rin Kyoto.

In a traditional Japanese tea gathering, chaji, the experience begins long before the tea is served.The garden path known as the roji gently prepares both guests and host, allowing the mind to become quiet before entering the tea room.

In a chaji, the roji is not simply a path that leads to the tea room. From the moment guests step into this space, they begin to leave behind the noise and busyness of everyday life.

Walking along the garden path, their pace naturally slows. The quiet surroundings allow the mind to settle.

Where the guests walk, water is always lightly sprinkled on the ground. The water in the tsukubai stone basin is kept clear and fresh, and the path itself is carefully swept and purified.

The coolness of the water and the quiet cleanliness of the garden create a moment of calm. Before entering the tea room, guests are given a brief time to gently compose themselves.

Along the roji, at the koshikake machiai—a small waiting bench where guests pause before being invited inside—a tobacco tray called a tabako-bon is placed. It is prepared with a hiire (charcoal container), an haifuki (ash receptacle), and a kiseru pipe.

Today these items are rarely used. Traditionally, however, they allowed guests a brief moment of relaxation while waiting, helping to soften the mind before the gathering begins.

A broom made from shuro palm leaves is also hung in this space. It is often newly prepared for the occasion—not simply as a tool, but as a quiet sign that everything has been readied only for the day.

For this gathering, we decided to make the shuro broom ourselves.

We prepared a green bamboo and shuro, palm leaves. Traditionally, the broom is tied with wisteria vine, but since it was not available, we used rope made from shuro fibers instead.

We cut the bamboo to size, washed and purified the leaves gathered from a temple garden, and carefully tied them together.

Though simple in description, each step was carried out with care, thinking of the guests who would walk this path.

For us as hosts, this preparation became a meaningful time. As we swept the roji and tended to the garden, we found our own minds gradually cleansed and prepared for the day of the chaji.

In this way, the roji quietly prepares both guests and host alike, guiding them toward the shared moment that awaits in the tea room.

Shiho Kanai

Art Director, Gallery Rin