The entry way into a tea house is very small and you have to crawl in. Because of this you enter in a humbled posture. Its size also forces samurai to leave their swords behind because they won't fit through. In the tea house we are all equal.
There's a saying used in tea ceremony, "Icho go, ichi e", that translates to "One time, one meeting" or "This moment will never be repeated". It was especially potent for samurai who, gathering for a bowl of tea before departing for war, knew they may never see each other again. It's important for us today because it reminds us that every moment is sacred. You could gather for tea with the same people in the same place at the same time the next day but subtle changes will have occured, maybe in nature or your own perspective. This moment will never be repeated.
The background in this collage came from a booklet by Walter Foster on how to paint clouds.
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