Zui-Ki-Tei, Japanese teahouse at Etnografiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Zui-Ki-Tei is a freestanding wooden chashitsu in the park outside the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm. It has two tea rooms: a small one of 3¾ tatami mats in sōan style and a large one of 6 tatami mats in shoin style, plus a preparation area (mizuya), a host's entrance (sadōguchi) and storage. A roji garden with a waiting arbor, two stone washbasins, a stone lantern and stepping stones surrounds it.
The original teahouse dating from 1935 was destroyed by fire in 1969. The current structure was built in 1990 based on a design by architect Masao Nakamura as a replacement.
The name Zui-Ki-Tei was given by Prince Chichibu in 1935: zui means both "promising" and Sweden, ki is the radiant light of Japan, and tei a small hut. The museum and the Urasenke Tankokai association hold tea ceremonies here, and the garden follows Sen no Rikyū's wabi-sabi ideal.
The teahouse opens during warmer months with specific ceremony dates, while closing during winter. Plan your visit ahead by checking the museum's schedule for ceremony times and seasonal accessibility.
The building was completely constructed in Japan, then disassembled and shipped to Sweden for reconstruction in the museum garden. This process preserved authentic Japanese construction techniques and materials in every detail.
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