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.

Yuuzari-no-chaji (Yûzari-no-chaji) / 夕ざりの茶事　/ early-evening tea ceremony held in the warmer months

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)

Younha - Houku Boshi Lyric

Yozora wo miage hitori houkiboshi ho mita no
Isshyun de hajikete wa kiete shimatta kedo
Anata no koto omou to mune ga itaku naru no
Ima sugu aitai yo dakedo sora wa tobenai kara

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Sora kakenuke tonda iku
Donna ashi-ta ga kite mo kono omoi wa tsuyoi
Dakara houkiboshi zutto kowarenai yo

Ama ga futte iyada to boyaiteita toki ni
Anata ga ii itta koto ima demo oboeteru
Ama no ato no yozora wa kirei ni hoshi ga deru
Sore wo kangaeru to ame mo suki ni nareru yone to

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Afureru hikari furasu yo itsumo
Kanashii toki yozora miru anata ga
Egao ni naru youni motto kagayakitai

Anata ha itsumo hitori nanika to tatakatteru
Soba ni iru koto shika atashi ni wa dekinai kedo

Moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Sora kakenuke tonde iku kitto
Kanarazu todoku kono isshun no hikari de
Anata no ima terashi sora wo megurou
Atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
Kitto soba ni ite ageru donna toki mo

Japan's Food Recipes 1

Okayu 
 

Okayu (rice borridge) is easy to digest, so people in Japan commonly eat it when having a cold or so on. This is a basic recipe to make plain okayu. Various ingredients such as chicken and radishes can be added if desired.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Japanese rice (short grain rice)
• 3 cups water (adjust the amount of water based on your preference)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• for toppings (optional):
• chopped green onion
• sesame seeds
• umeboshi (ume pickles)

Preparation:

Wash Japanese rice and drain. Put water and rice in a heavy bottomed pot or earthenware pot. Leave it for about 30 minutes. Cover the pot and put it on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and cook the rice for about 30 minutes. Stop the heat and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Serve into individual rice bowls. Put toppings, such as chopped green onion, sesame seeds, or/and umeboshi if you would like.

 

 

 

Hinachirashi 

                         

It's a kind of chirashizushi (scattered sushi) which can be served for Japanese Girl's Day celebration. It's good to use various toppings for this sushi. Be creative and make sushi appealing to kids.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups prepared sushi rice
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 large carrot
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 2 eggs and 1 tsp sugar, beaten
• 2 Tbsp sakura denbu (seasoned fish powder) *optional
• 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds
• a half bunch of nabana (rape flowers) or green vegetables

Preparation:

Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in 3/4 cup of warm water. Cut carrots into thin flower-shaped pieces. Remove shiitake mushrooms from the water and slice them thinly. Put the water in a pan and heat on low heat. Put shiitake slices and carrot pieces in the pan. Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Make fine scrambled eggs and set aside. Boil nabana in a pan and cool in cold water. Chop boiled nabana finely. Mix sesame seeds in prepared sushi rice. Serve the rice on a large plate. Sprinkle simmered shiitake mushrooms. Further, sprinkle scrambled eggs, carrots, boiled nabana, and sakura denbu over the rice.

 

 

 

How to Make Sushi Rice

Prep the Sushi Rice

And the first ingredient is of course sushi rice. A special medium-grain rice, it's beautifully pearlescent. We're going to need 2 cups of that. Very important we're going to rinse that in a strainer very well for a few minutes, and then we're going to let that drain and dry for 1 hour.

Cook the Sushi Rice

After an hour pour, the rice in a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, and add 2 1/4 cups water. Bring that to a simmer and set you timer for 10 minutes. So we're going to cook that covered for 10 minutes on low heat.

Mix the Rice Vinegar

While we're waiting I'm going to get the rice vinegar ready. I have 1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar. You can make your own by using a 1/4 cup of regular rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Mix it until it dissolves.

Cool the Sushi Rice

So when the timer rings, turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. All right we're going to need something to fan the rice with. I just use this folder. After the 10 minutes pour it on a tray and drizzle over the rice vinegar a few teaspoons at a time. We're going to use 4 tablespoons all together.

Using the tip of a fork, we're going to fan and fluff, and fan and fluff so all the grains kind of dry and cool. They should be sticky, but separate. I'm going to drizzle over the rest of the rice vinegar. The fanning also gives the grains a cool shine, and a perfect texture if done correctly.

Sushi Rice Texture

Once that's been fanned and cooled, it's ready to work with. Now here's the key to how you know you have perfect sushi rice. You can form it into any shape you want, but when you go to bite into it, it just collapses.

So you want it to hold a shape for when you are making something like a California roll like I have here. You want it to hold together so you can eat it, pick it up with chopsticks, but when you bite into it you want it to just crumble, so it has that nice light airy texture.

And that it! Sushi rice - so easy to make. By the way, sushi is the name of the rice preparation. Sushi is not raw fish. Raw fish is what you put on sushi. I'm glad we got that cleared up. I hope you give this a try. Roll some sushi, and enjoy.  

Japan's Historical Places Part 3

Imperial Palace

Site of Edo Castle with Remaining Moats and Stone Walls  
The Imperial Palace sits in the center of Tokyo, on the site of the Edo Castle where the Shogunate (the government established by the military class) was located in the Edo period (1603-1868). Except for January 2 and the Emperor's Birthday (currently December 23) when public is allowed to the Imperial Palace to offer their congratulations, the general public are not allowed to enter the Emperor's residence. However, the gardens of the palace such as the Outer Garden (Kokyo Gaien), the East Garden (Higashi Gyoen), and Kitanomaru Park have been maintained as parks, and today these public gardens provide places of recreation and relaxation for the citizens of Tokyo.  
Ieyasu Tokugawa became the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603 and started rebuilding the Edo Castle as a symbol of the political and economic center of the nation. Rebuilding continued through successive generations, and by 1710, under the reign of the 6th Shogun Ienobu, the castle had become the largest in Japan surrounded by double moats and with an area that extended about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from east to west and about 3.9 kilometers (2.4 miles) from north to south. Several of the original turrets and gates remain as they were or have been restored to their original state, and the stone walls and moats remain mostly intact.  
  
The East Garden marks where the keep of the castle that housed the central government offices and the residence of the shogun stood. Although the buildings of the keep were destroyed by fire in 1657, their structural ruins remain. The Outer Garden to the southeast of the palace is spacious, and looking toward the palace from the garden's side of the main gate, you can still see the remaining Fushimi Turret, a watchtower of the old castle, over the double-arched stone bridge. In Kitanomaru Park on the north side, there are various public facilities such as Nihon Budokan (martial arts stadium, also used for other sports and cultural events), the National Museum of Modern Art and Science Museum. The park is also famous for its cherry blossoms in spring.


 Shuri Castle


Ruins of Castle with Strong Chinese Influence, Unique to Okinawa 

Shuri Castle, whose ruins remain in Naha City of Okinawa Prefecture, is said to date back to the 12th century or earlier. After several hundred years of rivalry between warlords, Okinawa islands were unified as the Ryukyu Kingdom in the early 15th century. For 450 years thereafter, Shuri castle had been the palace of the King of Ryukyu. Being an independent kingdom situated between Japan and China, Okinawa, then Ryukyu, Shuri Castle developed in an architectural style different from that of castles in mainland Japan. Reflecting Okinawa's active exchange with China in the 14th century, Chinese influence can be seen in the construction techniques of the castle. From the 18th century when the region came to have relationships with Japan, Korea, and other neighboring countries, some buildings were built reflecting the architectural styles of these countries. 
The castle boasted a 60,000-square meter (71,754-square yard) compound at the peak of its prosperity. Just before the Second World War, it still covered 46,000 square meters (55,011 square yards) with maximum axes of 400 meters (1,312 feet) from east to west and 270 meters (886 feet) from north to south. The castle complex at that time was surrounded by solid stone walls, and many national-treasure class buildings including the symbolic Seiden (main pavilion) and the Shurei-mon (the second gate) soared imposingly. During the war, however, not only those buildings but also the stone walls were completely demolished. Today, the Kankai-mon (the main gate), the Shurei-mon, the Seiden, and other buildings have been restored to their original state, and the site has been made into a historical park.

The Shurei-mon is best known as an architectural structure unique to Okinawa and is sometimes referred to as a symbol of Okinawa. The gate is the second one along the route up to the castle, while the first and main gate stood lower, having the same shape and size as the Shurei-mon: The two gates also used to be called "Ue no Torii" (the upper gate) and "Shita no Torii" (the lower gate) respectively.

Source : http://web-japan.org/atlas/historical/histr_fr.html