stone wash basin in a Japanese garden
A low stone basin used for ritual hand washing in traditional Japanese gardens, especially tea gardens (roji). Visitors crouch to use it, hence the name.
A tsukubai is placed in front of the tea room.
蹲で手を清める。
Purify your hands at the tsukubai.
Kana spelling is sometimes used, especially in explanatory contexts.
Rare variant with okurigana; not commonly used.
Rare variant using the full kanji compound; may be encountered in older texts.
From the verb 蹲う (つくばう, 'to crouch'), referring to the low height that requires one to crouch when using it.