Tsukubai

In Japan, a tsukubai (蹲踞) is a washbasin provided at the entrance to holy

places for visitors to purify themselves by the ritual washing of hands and
rinsing of the mouth.[1] This type of ritual cleansing is the custom for guests
attending a tea ceremony[1] or visiting the grounds of a Buddhist temple.[2]
The name originates from the verbtsukubau meaning "to crouch"[3] or "to bow
down", an act of humility.[2] Guests attending a tea ceremony crouch and wash
their hands in a tsukubai set in thetea garden before entering the tearoom.[3]

Tsukubai are usually of stone, and are often provided with a small ladle, ready
for use.[3] A supply of water may be provided via a bamboo pipe[3] called a
kakei.

The famous tsukubai shown here stands in the grounds of the Ryōan-ji temple
in Kyoto, and was donated by the feudal lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni.[4] The
kanji written on the surface of the stone are without significance when read
alone. If each is read in combination with 口 (kuchi) - the shape of the central
bowl - then the characters become 吾, 唯, 足, 知 which translates literally as "I
only know plenty" (吾 = ware = I, 唯 = tada = only, 足 = taru = plenty, 知 = Tsukubai at Ryōan-ji temple in Kyoto
shiru = know).[5] The underlying meaning, variously translated as "what one
has is all one needs",[5] or "learn only to be content"[4] reflects the basic anti-
materialistic teachings ofBuddhism.

References
1. Must See in Kyoto. Kyoto: Japan Travel Bureau, Inc. 1991. p. 107. ISBN 4-533-00528-4.
2. Einarsen, John (2004).Zen and Kyoto. Kyoto: Uniplan Co, Inc. p. 133.ISBN 4-89704-202-X.
3. Setsuko, Kojima; Crane, Gene A (1991).Dictionary of Japanese Culture(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/23738000)
(1st American ed ed.). Union City, CA: Heian. pp. 369–70. ISBN 0893463361. OCLC 23738000 (https://www.worldca
t.org/oclc/23738000).
4. Einarsen, John (2004).Zen and Kyoto. Kyoto: Uniplan Co, Inc. pp. 90–91.ISBN 4-89704-202-X.
5. "Tsukubai and Zenibachi, the Japanese Water Basins" (http://www.stonelantern.ch/Frame_English/Zenibachi_Englis
h.htm). Retrieved 3 March 2016.

External links
Tsukubai Design & Construction- Tea instructor Elliot Mitchnick discusses thedesign and construction of the
Tsukubai arrangement. (in English)

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This page was last edited on 20 January 2018, at 16:21.

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