"One of the most influential tea masters, Oda Urakusai was also an inventive designer of tea houses and tea utensils. Although the tea house first developed as a place of relaxation for the rich, it eschewed any suggestion of the stately or luxurious, seeking instead to create the austere beauty of a humber dwelling. This one neters to encounter a small, cramped space, devoid of overt decoration, which proves upon closer inspection to embody a variety of low-keyed, well-balanced elements... the pitch of the ceiling, the size and the shape of the windows, and the materials used for floors, walls, and windows, are beautifully integrated."

From: Hibi Sadao. The Colors of Japan. New York: Kodansha International, 2000; 41.