ABSTRACT
Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573–1600) was a time in Japanese history characterised by the appearance of great heroes and issuing of great battles. It was also when the first Europeans (Portuguese) arrived in Japan and a period that Japanese art and architecture flourished. Japanese warlords, such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1585–1592), were responsible for promoting atrocious violent acts and exquisite, delicate, exuberant and sophisticated art. The Tea Ceremony is an example of a habit that evolved into a form of art thanks to the patronage of warlords. It started with the collection of utensils and developed into the design of a space that elevated the act of drinking tea into a different dimension. Through this tea architecture, they aimed at experiencing a different world, detached from their reality, a Zen world, a world of serenity and art where each encounter was important. This study attempts to explain, through an analysis of João Rodrigues Tçuzu’s description of the tea house, how the tea master translated into architecture the fantasy of a peaceful and fresh Zen world, how he designed the tea gardens and tea houses in a manner that the guest could experience this Zen fantasy.
