The Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony is called Chanoyu, Sado or simply Ocha in
Japanese. It is a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving Japanese
green tea, called Matcha,
together with traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter
taste of the tea. Preparing tea in this ceremony means pouring all
one's attention into the predefined movements. The whole process is not
about drinking tea, but is about aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea
from one's heart. The host of the ceremony always considers the guests
with every movement and gesture. Even the placement of the tea utensils
is considered from the guests view point (angle), especially the main
guests called the Shokyaku.
History of the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Drinking of green tea was known in China from the fourth century. Tea
plants didn’t grow in Japan until the first seeds were brought from
China during the Tang dynasty (China 618-907), when relations and
cultural exchanges between the two countries reached a peak.
In the eighth century the first mention of a formal ceremony involving
the drinking of tea is found. However, at this time it probably didn’t
look much like the tea ceremony we know these days. Also, during the
eighth century a Chinese Buddhist priest wrote a book on the proper
method of preparing tea. The book was called “Cha Ching” and taught the
correct temperature of hot water and the use of tea vessels. It is said
that today’s style of the tea ceremony evolved largely through the
influence of this book.
During the Nara period (Japan 710-794) tea plants were grown in Japan and mainly
consumed by priests and noblemen as medicine. Toward the end of the Tang dynasty
in China, the drinking of tea was going through a transformation from medicine
to beverage, but due to deteriorating relations between the two countries this
transformation did not reach Japan till much later. The Japanese were forced
to mold and cultivate their own traditions and culture around the tea. Tea was
a rare and valuable commodity from the Nara period to the Heian period (794-1192)
so rules and formalities were based on this concept. Had tea been native to Japan
or more readily available, it is almost certain that the tea ceremony would not
have been created.
Kamakura period in Japan.
In 1187 Myoan Eisai, a Japanese priest, traveled to China to study
philosophy and religion. When he came back, he became the founder of Zen
Buddhism and build the first temple of the Rinzai sect. It is said that
he was the first one to cultivate tea for religious purposes, unlike
others before him who grew tea for medicinal use only. He was also the
first to suggest and teach the grinding of tea leaves before adding hot
water. A Sung emperor named Hui Tsung, referred to a bamboo whisk used
to whisk the tea after hot water was poured over it in his book Ta Kuan
Cha Lun (A General View of Tea). These two methods formed the basis for
the tea ceremony as we know it today.
Some hostility was created among monks who didn’t like Eisai’s newly
introduced religious ideas which he had imported, but the Kamakura
shogunate, who were among his first converts, helped him succeed in
enlisting protection. In 1211, Eisai was the first to write a treatise
on tea in Japan. In his treatise, Kissa Yojoki (Tea drinking is good for
health) Eisai suggested that the drinking of tea had certain health
benefits and cures for; loss of appetite, paralysis, beriberi, boils and
sickness from tainted water. According to him it was a cure for all
disorders, so this perhaps was the main reason that the Tea Ceremony
gained such popularity.
Tea in the thirteenth century and the Samurai
Tea started to spread outside of the Uji district where it had mainly
been grown since the beginning. But by now popularity and so demand was
growing rapidly and called for plantations all around Japan. The samurai
class, who loved everything about the Sung dynasty including the Tea
ceremony, embraced it wholly and caused even greater popularity of the
ritual preparation of green tea.
In 1333, the Kamakura shogunate fell which led to civil wars in the
whole country. A new class of people came into existence, the Gekokujou
(parvenus). These nobles whose extravagant lifestyles attracted much
attention from the public, often held tea parties for their friends
called Toucha. In this game the guests were tested on their abilities to
distinguish between Honcha (genuine tea) and other tea. Soon betting
accompanied these games and great valuable prices were presented to
winners which added to the excitement of the game.
Originally the guests were given ten cups of tea, but this number
increases to twenty, thirty and eventually one hundred cups per person.
If there was a great number of people attending the party, it would have
been impossible to provide every guest with one hundred cups. Although
followed procedures are unknown, the guests probably passed cups from
one the next. This technique of passing around tea bowl probably
explains why only one tea bowl is used during today’s Tea Ceremony.
However strange this habit of sharing might seem to us now, it probably
has its roots in the Samurai class. The Samurai had strong family ties,
and when the family would gather on important occasions, it was custom
for the lord to take the first sip of Sake from a large cup and then
pass it among his retainers as a reaffirmation of their close bonds.
Tea ceremony during the Muromachi period
During the Muromachi period, Japanese architecture went trough a
transformation from the formal palace style adopted in the Heian period,
to a simplified style used by the Samurai. The next transformation was
from Samurai style to the Shoin style which used elements of temple
architecture. For the tea ceremony some of the Shoin design details were
adopted, such as the alcove (Tokonoma), the pair of shelves
(Chigaidana) in the side of the alcove, and the side-alcove desk
(Tsuke-shoin). Of course Taami mats were used to cover the floor in the
Shoin style.
The Samurai nobles made it their hobby to perfect the way of decorating
the alcove, the shelves in the side alcove. The Shoin desk became fixed,
with the aim of arranging a small number of utensils and articles in a
way that was aesthetically and functionally.
After some time, the Shoin was used to serve tea ceremonially by the
Douboushuu. All the utensils used by them came from China and were
placed on a large utensil stand (Daisu).
Murata Shukou : The Founder of Chanoyu
When people of other classes became interested in the tea ceremony
enjoyed by the Samurai class, they started having small tea gatherings
in smaller and less lavish rooms which were appropriate to their status.
From this the small room called Kakoi came into existence.
One of the best designers of smaller tearooms was a Zen priest called
Murata Shukou. He later became known as the father of the tea ceremony
because the etiquette and spirit of tea were originated by him. At the
age of eleven he entered into priesthood at Shoumyou Temple until he was
twenty. Ten years later he returned to priesthood at Daitoku-ji Temple
under the monk and teacher Ikkyuu Soujun to practice Zen meditation.
Later he was rewarded for his profound understanding of Zen and received
a diploma signed by the Chinese monk Yuanwu. After this, he spend the
rest of his days in his tea room in Nara to perfect the tea ceremony,
and give lessons to anyone interested in learning the art. To all his
students he tried very hard to instill the true spirit of simple,
Zen-inspired tea.
Another important procedure initiated by Shukou, was that he himself
would serve the tea to his guests. He preferred the intimate and
personal atmosphere of a small room which could fit five to six people.
The four-and-a-half-mat room that he had devised to create a more
tranquil atmosphere during the tea ceremony had its origins in the Zen
philosophy he had studied in Kyoto at Daitokuji Temple.
In a letter to his favorite pupil, Harima no Furuichi, Shukou outlined
his own basic concept of the art of Chanoyu and his personal philosophy
of aesthetics. He wrote about the idea of refined simplicity, or Kakeru,
and about the importance of understanding the aesthetic qualities of
sober-colored pottery from Bizen and Shigaraki. From his letters it can
also be learned that he took great pains to study the best method of
combining Chinese and Japanese tea utensils.
Toward the end of the Muromachi period, the tea culture reached its
peak, and tea devotees were given different titles to distinguish their
relation to the art. Chanoyusha was the name given to a professional
teacher of the tea ceremony like Shukou. A Wabi-suki was a teacher
distinguished by three particular qualities: faith in the performance of
tea, an ability to act with decorum befitting a proper master, and
excellent practical skills. Finally, the Meijin not only met all the
qualities of a wabi-suki, but was a collector of fine Chinese tea
utensils as well.
Types of the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Throughout the year there are various kinds of ceremonies which have specific
names according to the time of day, the occasion of the tea ceremony or the
season in which they are held. The first tea ceremony held in January is
called Hatsugama 初釜, which translates to “first kettle.” This is the only
time when a teacher will prepare tea and a meal for his or her students.
Usually the teacher will only give guidance to the students, so this is a
very unique event for both the students and the host.
Akatsuki-no-chaji / 暁の茶事 / dawn tea ceremony in winter
This
is the dawn tea event held in the early morning of a cold winter day to
enjoy the breaking of dawn in the tearoom. It is truly an amazing
experience to be in the tearoom and drinking tea while the sunlight
slowly starts coming through the small windows and the tea utensils
start to appear different then just before in the candle-light.
Opposite
from the Akatsuki-no-chaji, here one can experience going from daylight
to candle light. It feels as if the normal world fades away and one is
entering into the mystical world of tea. Somehow this experience brings
you closer to fellow tea worshippers who are in the same room.
Asa-cha / 朝茶 / early-morning summer tea ceremony
Asacha
tea gathering is held in the cool morning of the hot summer. Tea
ceremonies or just Keiko (practice for students of tea) in summer are
really hard since the burning coal in the brazier and the hot tea don’t
really help escaping the soaring heat of Japanese summer.
Shoburo / 初風炉 / first use of the portable brazier in the year (may)
This
Shoburo tea event celebrates the first use of the Furo (portable
brazier) in the New Year of tea. On our modern calendar that would be
around May. Japanese love to do everything officially with lots of
ceremonial speeches and gestures, so this has also influenced the tea
ceremony.
Shougo-no-chaji (Shôgo-no-chaji)/ 正午の茶事 / midday tea ceremony
Kuchikiri-no-chaji / 口切の茶事 / tea ceremony celebrating the breaking of the seal on a jar of new tea (November)
Tea
leaves which are harvested in spring are store in a jar which is then
stored in a cool place. These days that might be in or around the
teahouse or cooling cellar. Long ago this jar with new leaves was stored
in the ground or in the mountains to keep it cool. Around the November 7
or 8, the new season of tea begins and the Ro is used for the first
time indicating the start of the winter season. At this time, to
celebrate the beginning of a new season of tea, the seal of the jar with
new tea plucked in spring is broken and the new, fresh tea is used for
the first time. Breaking this seal of the jar is called Kuchikiri. It is
accompanied by a full tea ceremony or Chaji with a meal, Kiocha, and
Usucha.
For this New Year of tea, the bamboo in the fences and gutters is
renewed, the Tatami mats are changed and the Shoji (sliding screen
doors) are newly papered. The tea event (Chaji) in this season of both
Kuchikiri and Kairo (opening of the hearth) begin at noon and continue
for about 4 hours with Kaiseki cuisine, thick tea and thin tea. This “Ro
shogo no chaji” is the most formal tea event and is also the basic
model for the Japanese tea ceremony.
Nagori-no-chaji /
名残の茶事 / tea ceremony honoring the last remains of the year's supply of tea
and to see out the warm months before winter sets in (October)
In the October month at the end of the autumn season, when there is only
a little tea left in the jar opened during the Kuchikiri ceremony, we
feel sadness from parting (Nagori) with this tea. It is also the time of
nature’s seasonal decline, letting go of the old in anticipation of the
new.
Yobanashi / 夜咄 / winter-evening tea ceremony
This
evening ceremony follows the Kuchikiri tea ceremony and is to celebrate
the long winter night. Yobanashi starts therefore in the evening to
enjoy a tea ceremony at night in a dark tea room with candle light.
Usually there are some candles or lanterns in the garden as well to
allow the guests to wash their hands at the Tsukubai and to view the
objects in the Machiai corner.
Hatsugama / 初釜 / boiling of the first kettle tea ceremony
This
meeting is seen as something very special. Hatsugama is the only time
when the tea teacher him or herself prepares tea for all her students.
In most cases this tea ceremony is a complete Chaji meeting with Kaiseki
meal, Nakadachi breaks, and the whole ritual done the way it was
learned during classes. It is impossible to teach the whole Chaji at
once, therefor it is always broken up into practicing how to prepare
Usucha, Koicha, and arranging the charcoal in Sumidemae. Only this time
will the whole ritual be performed by the tea teacher with some help of
his or her students. It is an opportunity to meet all the other students
whom might be studying on different days and for the teacher to point
out some of the details about the flow of a full Chaji meeting. Tipical
for this meeting is the festive mood, exquisit cuisine, and the curved
braided willow branches hung in the alcove.
(source: http://japanese-tea-ceremony.net/types_ceremony.html)
