A roji is a kind of Japanese tea garden that incorporates a few different aspects to create a simple and rustic feel for a garden. A roji has several things that combine to create a tranquil and aesthetically pleasing place for tea ceremonies: a wash basin surrounded by stones, a bamboo lattice or bent-branch lattice gate that separates the inner and outer gardens, the careful placement of stepping or paving stones, the use of plants and trees in their natural state, and a small, inconspicuous hole used for temporarily disposing of debris or displaying flowers.
Key Takeaways:
- A small roji, or teahouse garden, offers a respite from everyday life. Why not make one part of your garden.
- The Japanese aesthetic that animates roji gives these gardens a tranquility that seeps deep into the soul.
- Sen no Rikyu perfected the style of tea ceremony that we know today as wabi-cha.
“Based on the spirit of wabi, a kind of simple, rustic beauty, wabi-cha needs a setting with a mountain ambience, a place where the commotion of the city is left behind.”