At this time, the tea ceremony played a prominent role in politics and diplomacy. Nobunaga went as far as to prohibit anyone other than his closest allies from practicing it. The austere "wabicha" style Rikyū advocated was less favored for these political gatherings than the more lavish mainstream style. After Nobunaga's death, Sen no Rikyū entered the service of Hideyoshi and constructed a simple "wabi" tea hut called "Taian", which became one of Hideyoshi's favorite tea rooms. In contrast to the shingled roof preferred by Shukō, Rikyū specified a thatched roof. Called the "North Pole of Japanese aesthetics", this room exemplifies the rustic "wabi" style that came to dominate Japanese tea culture. In addition to the rustic tea room, Rikyū established the etiquette of the modern tea ceremony as well as the ordained procedure and the choice of utensils to be used. He also developed the idea of the "nijiriguchi", a small entryway through which guests must crawl to enter the tea room.