Miwa-an: About the Teahouse:

The name of the teahouse to be built is Miwa-an, the meaning of which gives insight into the philosophy of the project as well as the shape of the structure. In Asian Buddhist communities, it is common for priests to beg for alms to support themselves and their temples. In Japan this is called takuhatsu, and is seen also as a means of connecting the community of priests (Japanese sogya, Sanskrit, samgha or sangha) with the community of laymen they live among. The person who gives alms, the person who receives them, and the alms given are referred to as the Three Wheels or sanrin. In Japanese, sanrin can also be pronounced miwa. "An" (pronounced "ahn" as in Kahn) is a suffix meaning "hermitage" or "arbor" that is often applied to teahouses. Thus Miwa-an would translate as the Arbor of the Three Wheels.

The triangular shape of Miwa-an derives from the intersection of three curved walls that are, in fact, arcs of three intersecting wheels. The structure may be used for chanoyu, or for small gatherings at which a teacher guides a group of students in meditation, yoga, poetry, philosophical discussions, or some other gathering requiring concentrated attention. In any case, the Three Wheels in Miwa-an symbolize the Teacher, the Student, and the Knowledge passed on.

The walls that form the structure are being made of upright maple sapling posts set four feet on center along the curve. Woven screens are then hung from those posts to create semi-transparent walls. The woven screens are similar to the hanging sudare sunscreens of Japan, but are made from reeds and twigs gathered locally. The process the students are involved in of getting out into nature to collect the materials harks back to one of the original tenets of chanoyu -- awareness of, and connectivity to, the natural world.