hachimae-no-ishigumi 鉢前の石組

Keywords
Architecture
Gardens

A washstand placed near a veranda or in the corner of an open veranda, shoin zashiki 書院座敷, or in the chief priest's quarters *hōjō 方丈. Hachimae no ishigumi includes a water basin, *chōzubachi 手水鉢, a platform stone, dai-ishi 台石, a squat stone, *kagami-ishi 鏡石, a purification stone, *shōjōseki 清浄石, a water ladling stone, *mizukumi-ishi 水汲石 or *mizuage-ishi 水揚石, and a water gate, suimon 水門. It was used either for ordinary hand washing or for washing hands at a tea ceremony. Usually the hachimae, 鉢前, is placed on a pedestal while the wash basin, *tsukubai 蹲踞, is set so that the bottom is buried in the ground. The number of stones surrounding the chōzubachi-style hachimae may vary. Usually a tall basin is used for hachimae, but when a low one is used a high pedestal goes with it. The form of hachimae, however, was completed around the first half of the Edo period. The form was fairly free at that time, but after the mid-Edo period its style was set. It was then that an ornamental wash stand, *kazarihachimae 飾鉢前, also appeared.