Japan History and Culture

  Japanese tea ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu, lit. “tea hot-water”; also called chadō or sadō, “the way of tea”) is a multifaceted traditional activity based on Taoism (Daoism) and influenced by Zen Buddhism, in which powdered green tea, or matcha , is ceremonially prepared and served to others.
The get-togethers for chanoyu are called chakai (literally “tea meeting”) or chaji (literally “tea function”). Usually the term chakai is used to refer to a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes the service of confections, usucha (thin tea), and perhaps tenshin (a light snack), while the term chaji refers to a more formal course of hospitality including kaiseki (a special kind of full-course meal), confections, koicha (thick tea), and usucha (thin tea). A chaji may last up to four hours.
A tea practitioner should strive to be knowledgable if not expert in the wide range of disciplines and traditional arts that are integral to chanoyu — for example, the production and types of tea, kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, and incense — in addition to his or her school’s tea practices. Because of this, the study of the tea ceremony is virtually endless. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of the prescribed gestures and phrases, the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.

Equipment
Tea equipment is called chadōgu (literally tea tools). A wide range of chadōgu is necessary for even the most basic tea ceremony. A full list of all available tea implements and supplies and their various styles and variations could fill a several-hundred-page book. The following is a brief list of some essential components:

Chakin  is a small rectangular white linen or hemp cloth mainly used to wipe the tea bowl.
Tana is a general word that refers to all types of wooden or bamboo shelf units used in tea preparation; each type of tana has its own name. Tana vary considerably in size, style, features and materials. The three basic categories are built-in tana (shitsukedana), suspended tana (tsuridana), and portable shelves (okidana). The latter, okidana, are basically categorized as either large shelf units (ōdana) or small shelf units (kodana). Various tea implements are placed on, or stored in, them. They are used in a variety of ways during different tea ceremonies. 

Tea bowl (chawan)  are available in a wide range of sizes and styles, and different styles are used for thick and thin tea (see Tea ceremony, below). Shallow bowls, which allow the tea to cool rapidly, are used in summer; deep bowls are used in winter. Bowls are frequently named by their creators or owners, or by a tea master. Bowls over four hundred years old are in use today, but only on unusually special occasions. The best bowls are thrown by hand, and some bowls are extremely valuable. Irregularities and imperfections are prized: they are often featured prominently as the “front” of the bowl. Broken tea bowls are painstakingly repaired using a mixture of lacquer and other natural ingredients. Powdered gold is added to disguise the dark colour of the lacquer, and is known as kintsugi or “joint with gold,” and additional designs are sometimes created with the mixture. Bowls repaired in this fashion are used mainly in November, when tea practitioners begin using the ro, or hearth, again, as an expression and celebration of the concept of wabi, or humble simplicity.

Tea caddy (chaire and natsume; main article: chaki) come in two basic styles, the natsume and the chaire, though there is variation in shape, size and colour within the styles. Chaire, which are used for koicha, are usually tall and thin (but shapes may vary significantly) and have ivory lids with a gold leaf undersides. Chaire are usually ceramic, and are stored in decorative bags called shifuku. Natsume are used for usucha, and are named for their resemblance to the natsume fruit (the jujube). They are short with a flat lid and rounded bottom, and are usually made of lacquered or untreated wood.

 
Tea scoop (chashaku) generally are carved from a single piece of bamboo, although they may also be made of ivory or wood. They are used to scoop tea from the tea caddy into the tea bowl. Bamboo tea scoops in the most casual style have a nodule in the approximate center. Larger scoops are used to transfer tea into the tea caddy in the mizuya (preparation area), but these are not seen by guests. Different styles and colours are used in various tea traditions.

Whisk (chasen)  are carved from a single piece of bamboo. There are thick and thin whisks for thick and thin tea. Old and damaged whisks are not simply discarded. Once a year around May, they are taken to local temples and ritually burned in a simple ceremony called chasen kuyō, which reflects the reverence with which objects are treated in the tea ceremony.
All the tools for tea ceremony are handled with exquisite care. They are scrupulously cleaned before and after each use and before storing. Some components are handled only with gloved hands.

Styles of ceremony
There are many styles of chanoyu, depending upon the occasion, season, and countless other possible factors.

Hakobi temae
The name comes from the fact that, except for the hot water kettle (and brazier if a sunken hearth is not being used), the essential items for the tea-making, including even the fresh water container, are carried into the tea room by the host.
O-bon temae
In O-bon temae (Omotesenke: “tray ceremony”; Urasenke: bonryaku temae), the host places a tea bowl, whisk, tea scoop, chakin and natsume on a special tray; these items are covered by the fukusa. Thin tea is prepared on the tray while kneeling seiza style on the floor. This is usually the first ceremony learned, and is the simplest to perform, requiring neither much specialized equipment nor a lot of time to complete.

Ryūrei
In the Ryūrei (literally standing bow) style, the tea is prepared at a special table. The guests are seated either at the same table (one guest) or at a separate table. The name refers to the practice of performing the first and last bows standing at the entrance to the tea room. In Ryūrei there is usually an assistant who sits behind the host and moves the host’s stool out of the way as needed for standing or sitting. The assistant also serves the tea and sweets to the guests.

Studying tea ceremony
In Japan, those who wish to study tea ceremony typically join what is known in Japanese as a “circle,” which is a generic term for a group that meets regularly to participate in a given activity. There are also tea clubs at many junior high and high schools, colleges and universities.
Most tea circles are run by a local chapter of an established tea school. Classes may be held at community centres, dedicated tea schools, or at private homes. Tea schools often have widely varied groups that all study in the same school but at different times. For example, there may be a women’s group, a group for older or younger students, and so on.
Students normally pay a monthly fee which covers tuition and the use of the school’s (or teacher’s) bowls and other equipment, the tea itself, and the sweets that students serve and eat at every class. Students must provide their own fukusa, fan, paper, and kobukusa, as well as their own wallet in which to place these items. Traditionally students also provided their own kimono and related accessories, though western clothing is very common today. On the other hand, if the teacher is in the higher rank of tradition, especially an iemoto, wearing kimono is still considered essential, especially for women. In some cases, advanced students may be given permission to wear the school’s mark in place of the usual family crests on formal montsuki kimono.

New students typically begin by observing more advanced students as they practice. New students are normally taught mostly by more advanced students; the most advanced students are taught exclusively by the teacher.

 The first things new students learn are how to correctly open and close sliding doors, how to walk on tatami, how to enter and exit the tea room, how to bow and to whom and when to do so, how to wash, store and care for the various equipment, how to fold the fukusa, how to ritually clean tea equipment, and how to wash and fold chakin. As they master these essential steps, students are also taught how to behave as a guest at tea ceremonies: the correct words to say, how to handle bowls, how to drink tea and eat sweets, how to use paper and sweet-picks, and myriad other details.
As they master the basics, students will be instructed on how to prepare the powdered tea for use, how to fill the tea caddy, and finally, how to measure the tea and water and whisk it to the proper consistency. Once these basic steps have been mastered, students begin to practice the simplest ceremonies, typically beginning with O-bon temae (see above). Only when the first ceremony has been mastered will students move on. Study is through observation and hands on practice; students do not often take notes, and some schools discourage the practice of note-taking.
As they master each ceremony, some schools and teachers present students with certificates at a formal ceremony. According to the school, this certificate may warrant that the student has mastered a given ceremony, or may give the student permission to study a given ceremony. Acquiring such certificates is often very costly; the student typically must not only pay for the preparation of the certificate itself and for participating in the ceremony during which it is bestowed, but is also expected to thank the teacher by presenting him or her with a gift of money. The cost of acquiring certificates increases as the student’s level increases.
Typically, each class ends with the whole group being given brief instruction by the main teacher, usually concerning the contents of the tokonoma (the scroll alcove, which typically features a hanging scroll (usually with calligraphy), a flower arrangement, and occasionally other objects as well) and the sweets that have been served that day. Related topics include incense and kimono, or comments on seasonal variations in equipment or ceremony.

 
Step-By-Step Chado Tea Ceremony
The host, or temae performs the ceremony while seated in seiza, or kneeling position, and every movement or gesture is carefully choreographed. The water is heated with a cast iron pot that is placed over charcoal burner that is buried into the floor of the teahouse.
Wet ash is sprinkled around the charcoal to prevent heat from spreading to the outer edge of the chamber. After cleaning the lip that holds the floor replacement, the pot is placed onto the lip.

The correct water temperature would be around 176 degrees F (80º C). This would be the equivalent of taking a boiling teapot off of the fire, and letting it sit for around 1 minute.

it is customary for the guest to bow when entering the teahouse or room, and bowing is also performed by the practitioner or temae before the ceremony begins.

The matcha should be put through a sieve to break up any clumps that may have formed. After straining, the matcha is placed into a small lacquer tea-caddy known as a chaki.
Put the powdered matcha tea into the empty bowl, then use a bamboo ladle to add water. For a thick, strong-tasting tea referred to as ‘Koicha,’ use two heaping servings from a bamboo matcha spoon, or approximately one level teaspoon of matcha per 4 to 6 ounces (60 ml) of water.

For a weaker-tasting tea which is called ‘Usucha,’ you would use half of the amount of powdered matcha tea. The tea should fill the cup only 1/3 full.

Using firm wrist action in the shape of an ‘M,’ the tea is whipped into a froth using the ‘Chasen’ bamboo tea-whisk. There should be a uniform film of froth, with no visible air bubbles.

When the tea bowl is presented to the guest it is rotated 180 degrees, to present the more decorated side of the tea-bowl to the viewer. The rotation of the bowl is done in quarter turns.
Wagashi
Sweet rice cakes known as ‘wagashi’ were a traditional gift between samurai, and are served during the ritual Chado tea-ceremony to compliment the bitter Matcha tea. Wagashi has a spongy texture and semi-sweet flavor that can be an acquired taste. Traditionally, wagashi made from mochi (glutinous rice), red bean paste, and fruit sweetened with mizuame and suikazura.

Tags: Step-By-Step Chado Tea Ceremony, Styles of ceremony, tea ceremony, Tea equipment