Product Description
The tea house is one of Japan's great contributions to world architecture and it is brought to life in this richly illustrated, informative book by 3 of Japan's most famous architects. In essence a small, simple space for the tea ceremony that traditionally requires a hearth, straw mats and a low entrance, modern Japanese architects find the challenge of redefining this highly formalized and constrained idiom almost impossible to resist. Directed at both the general reader and the specialist, this visually stunning book explores their works through superb photographs and informative drawings. Some of these buildings are actually used as a stage for the tea ceremony; while others have become spaces for meditation, or for simply relaxing with a drink or a good book.