The tea ceremony ( chanoyu ), also known as the “way of tea” ( chado or sado ), is the ritualized preparation and offering of powdered green tea in the presence of guests. A full, formal tea ceremony includes a meal ( chakaiseki ) and two kinds of tea ( koicha and usucha ), and lasts approximately four hours, during which the host dedicates his entire being to creating an environment in which his guests will enjoy. aesthetically, intellectually and physically, surrounded at the same time by great serenity. In order to achieve this, the host or hostess may spend decades mastering not only the rhythmic procedures necessary to serve tea to his or her guests, but also learning to appreciate art, crafts, poetry and calligraphy; learning flower arranging, cooking and gardening; and at the same time instill in oneself, or herself, elegance, altruism and consideration for the needs of others.
The objective of the tea ceremony is that of Zen Buddhism – to live in the moment – and the entire ritual is prepared so that the senses focus on it, so that one fully participates in the ceremony and is not distracted by thinking about worldly things. People may wonder if a full formal tea ceremony is something Japanese people typically hold to relax. This is not like this. Nowadays it is very rare for a person in Japan to have the luxury of owning a tea house, or the motivation to entertain guests there. Entertaining with the tea ritual has always been, with the exception of Buddhist monks, the privilege of the elite.
HISTORY OF TEA in Japan
After being imported from China, green tea began to be drunk in monasteries and mansions of the aristocracy and the dominant warrior elite in approximately the 12th century. Tea was first drunk as a form of medicine, and in monasteries to keep one awake during meditation. The first tea ceremonies were occasions to display precious utensils in large halls or to hold noisy parties at which participants guessed the origins of different teas. Finally, through the influence of the Zen Buddhist masters of the 14th and 15th centuries, the procedures for serving tea in front of guests became the form of spiritual improvement with which millions of students now practice the “way of tea.” ” in the different schools that currently exist.
A 15th-century Zen master – Murata Juko (1423–1502) – broke all conventions by holding a tea ritual for the aristocracy in a humble four-and-a-half-mat room. The master of the tea ceremony who perfected the ritual was Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591). Rikyu was the son of a wealthy merchant from Sakai, near Osaka, Japan's most prosperous trading port in the 16th century. Thanks to his origin he was able to attend the tea ceremonies of the rich, but what interested him most was the way in which the monks considered the tea ritual as the embodiment of the principles of Zen to appreciate the sacred in everyday life. Following Juko's example, Rikyu eliminated from the tea room and brewing style everything that was not essential, and developed a tea ritual in which no movement was useless and no object was superfluous.
Instead of using expensive imported vessels in a luxurious reception hall, he made tea in a thatched hut using only a simple iron teapot, a simple lacquered tea container, a teaspoon and a whisk to stir the tea. bamboo and a simple bowl of rice to drink tea.
The only decoration in a Rikyu style tea room is a hanging scroll or a vase placed in the niche. Due to the lack of decorations, participants better appreciated the details and became aware of the simple beauty around them and themselves. The essence of the Rikyu tea ceremony was the concept of wabi . Wabi literally means “desolation.” Zen philosophy takes the positive side of this and says that the greatest wealth is found in desolation and poverty, because we look inside ourselves and find true spiritual wealth there, when we find nothing that ties us to material things. Their style of making tea is therefore called wabi-cha .
After Rikyu's death, his grandson, and later his three great-grandchildren, continued the Rikyu style. Meanwhile, other variations of wabi-cha appeared under the influence of certain warrior leaders, whose high social position required them to use more sophisticated utensils and more elaborate manners and procedures than those of the simple wabi-cha. New schools appeared, but it can be said that the spirit of wabi-cha constitutes the center of them all. When the warrior class was abolished in modern Japan (early 1868), women became the main practitioners of the tea ceremony. This ceremony was something that all young girls needed to study to acquire elegant manners and to learn to appreciate aesthetics. At the same time, political and business leaders and art object collectors used the tea ceremony as a vehicle for collecting and enjoying art objects. The largest tea ceremony schools today are Urasenke and Omotesenke, which were founded by Rikyu's two great-grandsons. Under their influence and that of other major schools, the “way of tea” is being taught around the world, while in Japan, men and women are reassessing the “way of tea” as a valuable means of obtaining the domain of life.
TO RECEIVE AND DRINK TEA
There are certain rules that must be followed when receiving tea in a tea ceremony. Called tatemae or temae, all of them imply a show of gratitude towards the host. The procedure for drinking thick tea is different from that for drinking lighter tea, but in both cases, the tea is served with the front side of the bowl (for example, the side on which the design or glaze is most beautiful and is considered the best part of the bowl) facing the guest. The guest pays attention to the beauty of the bowl and tries not to dirty this part of the bowl when drinking from it.
When koi-cha is served, all guests drink from the same bowl, passing it from one to another. Firstly, when you receive a bowl of tea, place it between you and the next guest and bow to the host. Take the bowl in your right hand, place it in the palm of your left hand and lift it slightly, bowing your head in gratitude. To avoid drinking from the front of the bowl (so the front is away from your lips), turn the bowl toward you twice and take a small sip. When you have finished drinking, place it on the tatami mat in front of you, take a paper towel from the top of your kimono, wipe the part where your lips have touched the bowl, and place the paper towel back on the bowl. inner part of the kimono. Take the bowl with your right hand, place it in the palm of your left hand, and turn it to its original position before passing it to the next guest. After passing it, bow again.
The usu-cha is served to each person individually. Same as with thick tea, when you receive the bowl of tea, put it between you and the next guest and bow to excuse yourself for drinking first. Then place it in front of your knees and thank the host. Turn the bowl toward you twice so you're not drinking from the front. When you have finished drinking it all, clean the part where you have drunk with your fingers. Turn the front of the bowl so it is facing you. Place the bowl on the mat in front of you and with your elbows on your knees lift the bowl and admire it. When returning the bowl, make sure the front has been turned and faces the host. The guest brings a package of folded papers in which they must put the sweets before eating them. A special toothpick is used to cut and eat dry sweets, but dry sweets can be eaten with your fingers.