However, doorways that can be considered prototypes of nijiriguchi appear on old drawings of the time of Joo TAKENO, and many similar designs such as a tiny door built in a large door in merchant houses existed previously, so it was not Rikyu's invention.
しかし、にじり口の原型とみられる入り口は、武野紹鴎の時代の古図にも見られ、また商家の大戸に明けられた潜りなど同類の試みは多種見られることから、利休の発明とは言えない。