chouzubachi　手水鉢

KEY WORD :　architecture / gardens

Lit. hand water bowl. A water basin used to rinse the hands or as a decorative element in gardens: usually made of stone, although there are rare bronze or ceramic examples. The basin plays important functional, symbolic and artistic roles in the tea gathering chakai 茶会. Before entering the tearoom *chashitsu 茶室, guests rinse their hands and mouths at the chouzubachi, a practice adopted from the Shinto custom of purifying oneself with water before entering a shrine.　The combination of chouzubachi and attendant stones in rustic *souan 草庵 style tea gardens *roji 露地 is called *tsukubai 蹲踞. In tsukubai, the stone water basin is usually low and often made from a natural stone. The combination of chouzubachi and attendant stones near the verandah in *shoin 書院 style tea gardens is called hachimae 鉢前. The hachimae chouzubachi 鉢前手水鉢 are tall and cylindrical, and are usually called *ensaki chouzubachi 縁先手水鉢. Chouzubachi made of cut stones which previously had a different function, for example as part of building or lanterns, are known as *mitatemono chouzubachi 見立物手水鉢. A good example of mitatemono chouzubachi are basins with Buddhist images on each side, made from the base stone *soseki 礎石, shaft touhin 塔身, and coping *kasa 笠 of old stone pagodas *sekitou 石塔. Water basins made from natural stones are called *shizenseki chouzubachi 自然石手水鉢. A third type, termed creative water basins or sousaku chouzubachi 創作手水鉢, were expressly crafted as water　basins. Chouzubachi acquired names based on physical resemblance or on metaphorical association. For example, natural chouzubachi in a conical shape are called Fuji-type *fujigata chouzubachi 富士形手水鉢, those resembling the character "ichi" 一 are called *ichimonji 一文字, those thought to resemble boats are called *funagata chouzubachi 舟形手水鉢 or boat type, those resembling kimono 着物 sleeves are called *sodegata chouzubachi 袖形手水鉢, while those resembling a broken jar are called *shibaonkougata chouzubachi 司馬温公形手水鉢 after the story of Sima Guang (Jp; *Shiba Kou 司馬公). In all cases, the defining feature of the chouzubachi is the waterpool *mizuana 水穴, present in both functional and decorative examples. The word chouzubachi is sometimes abbreviated to mizubachi 水鉢.

REFERENCES:

*hachimae-no-ishigumi 鉢前の石組,

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NOTES:

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