What virtues did the Japanese tea ceremony seek to encourage through its garden setting?

The Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu, utilizes the garden setting—specifically the tea garden known as roji ("dewy ground or lane")—to cultivate a specific spiritual atmosphere and encourage several key virtues. These gardens were designed with severe rules to evoke moods such as the "lonely precincts of a secluded mountain shrine" or a landscape in "clouded moonlight," which were intended to instill the following virtues in participants:1

• Humility: The design of the tea garden and the small, low door of the teahouse are intended to suggest humility.21
• Restraint: The garden emphasizes the charm of restraint, where beauty is concealed to be discovered individually, reflecting the aesthetic of wabi (deliberate simplicity).314
• Sensibility: The environment is crafted to foster a heightened awareness and appreciation of the surroundings, encouraging a reflective state of mind.31

These virtues are further supported by the broader principles of the tea ceremony, which include harmony, respect, cleanliness, and tranquillity. By guiding guests through a secluded, natural space, the garden serves as a transition from the outside world, preparing the soul for the spiritual recreation and sustenance found within the ceremony.231