Japanese Tea Ceremony: An Overview
Japanese tea ceremony is not merely a ceremony. It has its root from the Chinese Zen Philosophy. Actually tea was first brought to Japan from China by the priest Eisai in 1191. During that time it was only drunk in Japanese temples as a form of medicine. It is believed that a tea ceremony had developed in 9th century by the Chinese masters. However, the aesthetics of ceremonial tea were refined and popularized only in 15th century by the Zen Priests and tea masters. The Zen master ‘Murata Juko’ was the first who first started to serve tea in an intimate four and a half ‘tatami’ mat space. Until up to this time tea was only served to aristocrats in grand parlors.
In this way the tea ceremony became a very special event in Japanese culture. The host spends many days to get over every detail to make sure that the ceremony will end perfectly. Guests will gather at the time appointed, food and drink will be served to them. There can be an informal tea which also can consist of some sweet or else it can also be served along with a small meal. This ceremony takes place in a room called the ‘chashitsu’. This room is particularly designed for this occasion only. The room is usually situated within a teahouse and located away from one’s house in a garden. The number of guests invited in this ceremony mostly depends upon the limitations of the host’s facilities. The most formal form of inviting the guest for this type of ceremony is called ‘Chaji’. In this type of gathering the host will have to serve multiple courses of meal, a solemn thick tea ceremony and it is then followed by the less solemn thin Japanese tea ceremony. This ceremony lasts for around 3 to 5 hours and maximum of 5 guests should be present.
The art of the Japanese tea ceremony began during the medieval period in Japan in between 11th and 16th centuries. Samurai at this time were the warrior acting by the rules of his life to be brave, honest, loyal, and faithful to his own masters. They practiced cultural arts and performed everyday activities with a level of awareness to bring them enlightenment. The tea ceremony became the means to show their wealth, fashion, and vast sums were paid for the pottery, bamboo and metal utensils used in the ceremony by some samurai. To celebrate the samurai’s great achievement, Shoguns usually presented tea in a special jar to them. The invited guests of shogun should walk down the garden path to his teahouse. They should then wait in an alcove or portico to be invited in by the tea master. Tea master is a person who is very experienced in the tea ceremony. Before entering in the room, the guests must remove their swords. In the tea room everyone has given the same equal status irrespective of their occupation.
Japanese tea houses are very small and made up with a roughly cut unmilled wooden timbers. In ancient times, tea houses were actually made from the great variety of bamboo, wood, straws and other materials which are profoundly found in the nearby forests. The earthen walls are made by the mixture of clay and straw over a bamboo lattice. Typically to enter the room all guests has to crawl because it has a very low entrance way only 3 feet in height called ‘nijiriguchi’. This is so because this shows their humility and social equality. The guests are only welcomed with a bow and no words are spoken. The interiors of the room have very simple and limited decorations by the flowers arrangement and a hanging scroll also called ‘tokonoma’ in which a scroll painting (kakemono) is hung. The host chooses this painting according to the theme of the tea ceremony. Exchange of greetings starts between the main guest and the host once host seats himself and then it is followed by the other guests.
According to the philosophy, in the tea ceremony, water represents yin and the fire in the hearth represents yang. ‘Mizusashi’ or a stoneware jar holds fresh water and it symbolizes purity and can be touched only by the host. The green tea called ‘matcha’ is kept in a small ceramic container called a ‘chaire’ that is covered in a silk pouch called ‘shifuku’ and is set in front of the ‘mizusashi’.
With season, tea house changes. For example in a warm summer months when guests are invited during the day, the water for the tea is prepared on a brazier. However, during colder evening the water is heated on a sunken hearth. The utensils to prepare tea are according to the four Zen principles. Lacquer, bamboo, and ceramics are used together to achieve harmony through contrast. The serving dishes are usually made of a ceramic and are presented on black lacquer trays. After ‘kaiseki’ or the main course meal is served and completed the host prepares the tea. A finely powdered green tea or ‘Matcha’ is kept in a ceramic container in a silk bag. It is then put in a ceramic tea bowl and simmering water is added. Small bamboo whisk is used to mix this mixture until the drink becomes frothy and green. And it is then served to the guests.
Usually, according to the tradition the tea scoop and tea container are lifted by the host and he will place three scoops of tea per guest into the tea bowl. He will then add enough hot water from the kettle into the tea bowl and whisk it to make a thin paste. The host then passes the tea bowl to the main guest first who will first bow and accepts it. The main guest will admire by raising and rotating the bowl. He will then start drinking some tea then wipes the rim of the bowl and pass it to the next guest who will also do the same ritual. After all guests have finished tasting the tea the bowl is returned to the host. The host will then rinse it and cleans the tea scoop and tea container. After that he will offer the cleaned tea scoop and tea container to the guests for examination. The ceremony is then followed by the conversation about the objects used in the preparation.
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