The sukiya aesthetic that we admire in restaurants and ryokan and much of Japanese residential architecture, is most easily found in mud walls and bamboo fences. It was the great tea masters of the Momoyama period in the late 16th century, most notably Sen no Rikyu, who were so taken by the natural warmth and subtle beauty of humble farmhouses, that they elevated those textures and colors to one of the highest levels of Japanese society – the tearoom.

One never tires of sukiya colors. Best seen when the sky is overcast, or by the moonlight or candlelight, they nourish us quietly and deeply.

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