Baiin Tea House
Baiin contains a re-creation of a historic tea room in the style favored by Sen no Sotan (1578–1658), the grandson of Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591), a famous tea master who profoundly influenced the development of the culture of tea (chanoyu).
Unlike most tea houses, where guests enter directly from outside, Baiin has a covered passageway enclosed by earthen walls and lined with stepping stones. The four-and-a-half-tatami-mat tea room just inside was constructed using building plans of Sen no Sotan’s original; a larger tea room is located in the rear. The thatched roof, earthen walls, and interior of the tea house create an impression of simple beauty, reflecting the wabi-sabi aesthetics prized by practitioners of chanoyu.