Japanese Tea Ceremony
Perhaps one of the most fascinating arts that has come to be linked with the
samurai is the cha no yu, or tea ceremony. Few activities in general are quite
as thoroughly refined and thoughtful and yet evolved through such troubled
times. Complicated and yet utterly simple, at once straightforward and deep,
the tea ceremony in many ways could be a metaphor not only for the
samurai ideal but also for the land of Japan itself.
Tea was made popular in Japan during the early Kamakura largely thanks to
the efforts of the monk Eisai (1141-1215); fifty or so years later the Zen monk
Dai-o (1236-1308) returned from a visit to China and brought with him
knowledge of the tea ceremony as it was practiced in Chinese Zen
monasteries. Successive monks refined the art until the priest Shûko (1422-
1502) presented a demonstration to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa.
Yoshimasa, already a man of the arts, took to the tea ceremony almost
immediately and at this point the cha no yu began developing a secular
following.
Initially, and unsurprisingly, the tea ceremony was an activity indulged by
the nobility, as tea itself was primarily the elixir of the upper class at this time.
This began to change with the advent of Sen no Rikyû. A man of merchant
background from Sakai, Rikyû (known for much of his career as Sôeki) had
been trained as a tea man in the elegant Ashikaga style; he would in time
reject this school in favor of a very different approach. The nobility's tea
ceremony had been developed to cater to the sorts of individuals that
partook of it, with elegant Chinese utensils and great pains taken to avoid
offending any guests of higher status. In his own take, Rikyû substituted the
pricey utensils with simple, practical ones, and replaced the expensive and
often gaudy teahouses of the nobility with the Sôan, or 'grass hut' style
teahouse. The only way into the tearoom of a Sôan was through a small
door, the nijiriguchi, which was only some two and a half feet square. Guests
therefore entered by crawling, a deliberately humbling device intended to
create a sense of equality once inside.1 Rikyû intended for the tea ceremony
to be an activity free from social and political trappings, though in this he
was to be disappointed. As Rikyû was making a name for himself, the
warlord Oda Nobunaga was also gaining fame through his steady expansion
and at length came to meet Rikyû. An enthusiastic amateur tea man,
Nobunaga made every effort to surround himself with men versed in the cha
no yu, which by 1575 included Sen no Rikyû, Imai Sokyu, and Tsuda Sogyu.
The great warrior also went to great lengths to secure valuable tea items,
which he doled out from time to time as rewards to his generals.
Nobunaga was killed in 1582 and in time Rikyû became a close companion
of Toyotomi hideyoshi, the second of the 'three unifiers'. Like Nobunaga,
Hideyoshi was an aspiring tea aficionado, and valued Rikyû's skills highly.
Nonetheless, the two men did not always see eye to eye when it came to the
cha no yu. Rikyû is said to have frowned on his master's use of the tea
ceremony as a forum to discuss matters of state, which he saw as disturbing if
not altogether nullifying the harmony of the ceremony. Hideyoshi in fact
took the ceremony and turned it into an important part of his statecraft. He
organized grand tea gatherings, and sought out famous tea items, although
in the actual practice of the ceremony, he more or less adhered to Rikyû's
precepts. In the end, and for reasons unknown, Rikyû was executed on
Hideyoshi's orders, though not before leaving a lasting mark on the art of
tea, which by the Edo Period had spread through the classes.
A Brief Description
The tea ceremony normally took place in a tearoom, the chachitsu. The
guests entered through the nijiriguchi, with samurai leaving their swords
outside (another conscious equalizer developed by Rikyû) and the last to
enter closing the door behind him. The tearoom was arranged so that those
entering would first spy a scroll hanging in the tokonoma - or alcove. This
scroll was normally of calligraphy, with its subject often that of a simple
observation such as Honrai mu Ichibutsu ('Originally there is nothing').2 As
this scroll is carefully chosen by the host to reflect a mood or the season, the
guests customarily spend a moment appreciating it before seating themselves
around a small hearth in the center of the room.
At this point the host enters, and the principal guest thanks him or her for
their invitation and politely inquires about the scroll or some other object in
the room should one be present. However, and throughout the time spent in
the tearoom, conversations and articulations are brief, and it was considered
impolite to speak of things not related to the ceremony. The principle guest
then serves a light meal (kaiseki) that was intended to be pleasing to the eye
as well as the taste. At this time, a modest serving of sake is also offered in
shallow bowls, followed by a piece of fruit or some other light dessert. The
guests then exit the tearoom while the host prepares it for the drinking of
tea, replacing the scroll with a single flower in a vase. When the guests
return, the host heats water in an iron kettle, then rinses and wipes the tea
bowl and utensils. He places powdered green tea in a bowl with a bamboo
dipper, then whips the tea with a whisk (also bamboo) until the surface is
slightly frothy, then serves it to his guests.
Two kinds of tea will be served: koicha, which is the more formal of the two
and possessed of a thicker consistency and bitter taste, and usucha - thinner
and more 'informal'. Koicha is served first, and all the guests drink a small
quantity from the same bowl. Later in the ceremony, usucha is served in
individual bowls. The tea bowls themselves can vary in design according to
the host and the season. 'Winter' tea bowls are deeper, to help contain heat,
while 'summer' bowls are shallower and broader to release the heat and give
the impression of coolness.
The Chinese Gung Fu Tea Ceremony
The first drink sleekly moistened my lips and throat;
The second banished all my loneliness;
The third expelled the dullness from my mind,
Inducing inspirations born from all the books I’ve read;
The fourth broke me out in a light perspiration,
Disbursing a lifetime’s troubles through my pores.
The fifth drink bathed every atom of my being.
The sixth lifted me higher to kinship with Immortals.
The seventh is the utmost I can drink -
A light breeze jets out from under my arms and
Master Jade Spring is who rides upon this breeze
To some place where Immortals come down to earth,
Guarded by their divinity, of course, from wind and rain.
- Lu Tong, (Master Jade Spring)
Taoist recluse and “tea fanatic”
upon tasting cakes of Imperial tea.
Steps of The Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony
1. Arrange the Tea Utensils and the Teapot
The utensils used in the Gung Fu Ceremony are one of the pleasures of
preparing tea in this manner. Enjoy their simplicity and beauty. Utensils at
this point include your traditional Yixing teapot, a decanter, a tea scoop, tea
poker, tea boat, tea towel, and of course TEA.
2. Warm the Teapot and the Cups
Using filtered or bottled water, heat the water to just below boiling for
oolong, (180 for green teas).
Pour the hot water in the teapot and swish it around, allow it to sit for a
moment, and then pour it over the tasting cups. Pour all the water away.
3. Put in the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Gung Fu preparation relies upon a much stronger infusion for a much shorter
time than we are normally accostomed to. The pot should be filled about 1/4
full with the oolong leaf, enough so that when the leaf is fully unfurled, they
will fill the pot without forcing off the lid. (Less tea is used if doing it for
green tea).
Place the lid on the tea and let it sit for a moment, then smell the aroma of
the dry leaf. Pass the pot if you like.
4. Wash the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Pour hot water over the leaves, allowing the water to run across the top of
the pot. Take five deep breaths, and then pour the water out into the
decanter. Resting the pot on the tea towel, deeply inhale the aroma of the
freshly washed leaves. Pass the teapot and allow others to smell the scent.
Place the lid back on the pot and pour the decanted liquid over the closed
pot. This will help develop the teapot’s patina over time, a desirable quality.
5. Brew the First Infusion
Pour the hot water over the tea and allow it to run over the sides of the pot.
Quickly place the lid on the pot and allow to steep for about one minute.
6. Decant into the Decanter and Pour into the Aroma Cups
Decant the tea into the decanter. This assures that all the cups of tea will be
of the same strength. (When not using a decanter then line all cups up and
pour them half full in one direction, then go the other direction to top them
off.) Pour the tea into the aroma cup, if you are using one. Then each person
can smell the delicate aroma from the aroma cup. Each person pours the tea
then into the drinking cup. The act of pouring the tea cools it slightly to the
perfect temperature for savoring the complex flavors of the tea.
7. Repeat the above step as many times as your tea will allow
You will know when the tea is done, because the infusion will begin to taste
either insipid, or bitter. A good oolong tea can be steeped up to 8 times!
8. Clean the Utensils
When the ceremony is finished, use the stick to remove the leaves. Carefully
wipe all the teaware. Never use soap on the Yixing pot, but rinse it well and
dry it carefully. Each utensil must be carefully wiped and put away.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating arts that has come to be linked with the
samurai is the cha no yu, or tea ceremony. Few activities in general are quite
as thoroughly refined and thoughtful and yet evolved through such troubled
times. Complicated and yet utterly simple, at once straightforward and deep,
the tea ceremony in many ways could be a metaphor not only for the
samurai ideal but also for the land of Japan itself.
Tea was made popular in Japan during the early Kamakura largely thanks to
the efforts of the monk Eisai (1141-1215); fifty or so years later the Zen monk
Dai-o (1236-1308) returned from a visit to China and brought with him
knowledge of the tea ceremony as it was practiced in Chinese Zen
monasteries. Successive monks refined the art until the priest Shûko (1422-
1502) presented a demonstration to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa.
Yoshimasa, already a man of the arts, took to the tea ceremony almost
immediately and at this point the cha no yu began developing a secular
following.
Initially, and unsurprisingly, the tea ceremony was an activity indulged by
the nobility, as tea itself was primarily the elixir of the upper class at this time.
This began to change with the advent of Sen no Rikyû. A man of merchant
background from Sakai, Rikyû (known for much of his career as Sôeki) had
been trained as a tea man in the elegant Ashikaga style; he would in time
reject this school in favor of a very different approach. The nobility's tea
ceremony had been developed to cater to the sorts of individuals that
partook of it, with elegant Chinese utensils and great pains taken to avoid
offending any guests of higher status. In his own take, Rikyû substituted the
pricey utensils with simple, practical ones, and replaced the expensive and
often gaudy teahouses of the nobility with the Sôan, or 'grass hut' style
teahouse. The only way into the tearoom of a Sôan was through a small
door, the nijiriguchi, which was only some two and a half feet square. Guests
therefore entered by crawling, a deliberately humbling device intended to
create a sense of equality once inside.1 Rikyû intended for the tea ceremony
to be an activity free from social and political trappings, though in this he
was to be disappointed. As Rikyû was making a name for himself, the
warlord Oda Nobunaga was also gaining fame through his steady expansion
and at length came to meet Rikyû. An enthusiastic amateur tea man,
Nobunaga made every effort to surround himself with men versed in the cha
no yu, which by 1575 included Sen no Rikyû, Imai Sokyu, and Tsuda Sogyu.
The great warrior also went to great lengths to secure valuable tea items,
which he doled out from time to time as rewards to his generals.
Nobunaga was killed in 1582 and in time Rikyû became a close companion
of Toyotomi hideyoshi, the second of the 'three unifiers'. Like Nobunaga,
Hideyoshi was an aspiring tea aficionado, and valued Rikyû's skills highly.
Nonetheless, the two men did not always see eye to eye when it came to the
cha no yu. Rikyû is said to have frowned on his master's use of the tea
ceremony as a forum to discuss matters of state, which he saw as disturbing if
not altogether nullifying the harmony of the ceremony. Hideyoshi in fact
took the ceremony and turned it into an important part of his statecraft. He
organized grand tea gatherings, and sought out famous tea items, although
in the actual practice of the ceremony, he more or less adhered to Rikyû's
precepts. In the end, and for reasons unknown, Rikyû was executed on
Hideyoshi's orders, though not before leaving a lasting mark on the art of
tea, which by the Edo Period had spread through the classes.
A Brief Description
The tea ceremony normally took place in a tearoom, the chachitsu. The
guests entered through the nijiriguchi, with samurai leaving their swords
outside (another conscious equalizer developed by Rikyû) and the last to
enter closing the door behind him. The tearoom was arranged so that those
entering would first spy a scroll hanging in the tokonoma - or alcove. This
scroll was normally of calligraphy, with its subject often that of a simple
observation such as Honrai mu Ichibutsu ('Originally there is nothing').2 As
this scroll is carefully chosen by the host to reflect a mood or the season, the
guests customarily spend a moment appreciating it before seating themselves
around a small hearth in the center of the room.
At this point the host enters, and the principal guest thanks him or her for
their invitation and politely inquires about the scroll or some other object in
the room should one be present. However, and throughout the time spent in
the tearoom, conversations and articulations are brief, and it was considered
impolite to speak of things not related to the ceremony. The principle guest
then serves a light meal (kaiseki) that was intended to be pleasing to the eye
as well as the taste. At this time, a modest serving of sake is also offered in
shallow bowls, followed by a piece of fruit or some other light dessert. The
guests then exit the tearoom while the host prepares it for the drinking of
tea, replacing the scroll with a single flower in a vase. When the guests
return, the host heats water in an iron kettle, then rinses and wipes the tea
bowl and utensils. He places powdered green tea in a bowl with a bamboo
dipper, then whips the tea with a whisk (also bamboo) until the surface is
slightly frothy, then serves it to his guests.
Two kinds of tea will be served: koicha, which is the more formal of the two
and possessed of a thicker consistency and bitter taste, and usucha - thinner
and more 'informal'. Koicha is served first, and all the guests drink a small
quantity from the same bowl. Later in the ceremony, usucha is served in
individual bowls. The tea bowls themselves can vary in design according to
the host and the season. 'Winter' tea bowls are deeper, to help contain heat,
while 'summer' bowls are shallower and broader to release the heat and give
the impression of coolness.
The Chinese Gung Fu Tea Ceremony
The first drink sleekly moistened my lips and throat;
The second banished all my loneliness;
The third expelled the dullness from my mind,
Inducing inspirations born from all the books I’ve read;
The fourth broke me out in a light perspiration,
Disbursing a lifetime’s troubles through my pores.
The fifth drink bathed every atom of my being.
The sixth lifted me higher to kinship with Immortals.
The seventh is the utmost I can drink -
A light breeze jets out from under my arms and
Master Jade Spring is who rides upon this breeze
To some place where Immortals come down to earth,
Guarded by their divinity, of course, from wind and rain.
- Lu Tong, (Master Jade Spring)
Taoist recluse and “tea fanatic”
upon tasting cakes of Imperial tea.
Steps of The Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony
1. Arrange the Tea Utensils and the Teapot
The utensils used in the Gung Fu Ceremony are one of the pleasures of
preparing tea in this manner. Enjoy their simplicity and beauty. Utensils at
this point include your traditional Yixing teapot, a decanter, a tea scoop, tea
poker, tea boat, tea towel, and of course TEA.
2. Warm the Teapot and the Cups
Using filtered or bottled water, heat the water to just below boiling for
oolong, (180 for green teas).
Pour the hot water in the teapot and swish it around, allow it to sit for a
moment, and then pour it over the tasting cups. Pour all the water away.
3. Put in the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Gung Fu preparation relies upon a much stronger infusion for a much shorter
time than we are normally accostomed to. The pot should be filled about 1/4
full with the oolong leaf, enough so that when the leaf is fully unfurled, they
will fill the pot without forcing off the lid. (Less tea is used if doing it for
green tea).
Place the lid on the tea and let it sit for a moment, then smell the aroma of
the dry leaf. Pass the pot if you like.
4. Wash the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Pour hot water over the leaves, allowing the water to run across the top of
the pot. Take five deep breaths, and then pour the water out into the
decanter. Resting the pot on the tea towel, deeply inhale the aroma of the
freshly washed leaves. Pass the teapot and allow others to smell the scent.
Place the lid back on the pot and pour the decanted liquid over the closed
pot. This will help develop the teapot’s patina over time, a desirable quality.
5. Brew the First Infusion
Pour the hot water over the tea and allow it to run over the sides of the pot.
Quickly place the lid on the pot and allow to steep for about one minute.
6. Decant into the Decanter and Pour into the Aroma Cups
Decant the tea into the decanter. This assures that all the cups of tea will be
of the same strength. (When not using a decanter then line all cups up and
pour them half full in one direction, then go the other direction to top them
off.) Pour the tea into the aroma cup, if you are using one. Then each person
can smell the delicate aroma from the aroma cup. Each person pours the tea
then into the drinking cup. The act of pouring the tea cools it slightly to the
perfect temperature for savoring the complex flavors of the tea.
7. Repeat the above step as many times as your tea will allow
You will know when the tea is done, because the infusion will begin to taste
either insipid, or bitter. A good oolong tea can be steeped up to 8 times!
8. Clean the Utensils
When the ceremony is finished, use the stick to remove the leaves. Carefully
wipe all the teaware. Never use soap on the Yixing pot, but rinse it well and
dry it carefully. Each utensil must be carefully wiped and put away.
| Tea Ceremonies |
