What is tea ceremony?

The japanese tea ceremony or matcha drinking ritual is the traditional way of drinking grean tea leaves after eating Japanese sweets. This particular way of making and drinking tea has many specific rules including the way of boiling tea, pouring tea, tea room design, the way of interaction between the host and guest. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu, sado, chadou or ocha.

Why is the tea ceremony important?

The tea ceremony is very important in Japanese Culture because it used to be practiced only by the elite zen monks and noble warlords for most of history. While some Japanese perform tea ceremonies as just a hobby today, most people consider it a form of traditional arts and call it the art of tea.

What is the purpose of tea ceremony?

The main purpose of tea ceremony is improving the bonding between the host and the guest and also gaining a peace of mind in our busy daily lives. Tea ceremony has many deep meanings and implications, it would be an understatment to just mention a simple purpose.Reading the books and studies on tea ceremony one realizes that the meditation aspect of tea ceremony is the most common followed by the bonding.

How long does a tea ceremony last?

There are different kinds of tea ceremonies (formal, casual, small group, large group, etc.). The informal tea ceremony (chakai) with a small group lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour. A formal tea ceremony gathering with a kaiseki meal (chaji) can last up to 4 hours. An additional time may be needed if the guests have to change clothes or wait at the tea garden during the preparations.

What is the history of Japanese tea ceremony? When did tea ceremony begin? Where did the tea ceremony originate from?

Tea leaves were brought to Japan by Eisai a Buddhist monk who traveled to Chine in the 12th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries It was drunk by young monks in order to not to fall asleep and also by the elite samurai as a leisure activity. In the late 1500's Sen no Rikyu from Osaka turned it into a ritual by introducing the “ichi-go-ichi-e” philosophy (cherish every encounter) and promoting the wabi-sabi aspect (beauty in imperfection and simplicity). During the Edo period the freshest batch of green tea from Kyoto was considered to be more precious than pure gold and the tea caddy of a samurai was as important as his sword.

When do Japanese perform tea ceremony?

Tea ceremony is usually performed when guests are invited to someone’s tea room. Guests are invited to celebrate special occasions and seasonal changes such as the cherry blossom, fall leaves, the new years eve, arrival of the freshest tea leaves of the season and etc..

What kind of tea is used for tea ceremony?

Freshly powdered matcha tea leaves are used for tea ceremony. The quality of green tea usually depends whether the top leaves or bottom leaves are picked. Top 2 leaves in the first harvest season tend to be the highest quality while the bottom 5 leaves in the third batch tend to be the lowest quality. If green tea leaves are roasted it is called hojicha.

What kind of sweets are used for the tea ceremony?

There are two kinds of sweets. Dry sweets (higashi). They are made out of sweet rice powder pressed in the wooden molds. Higashi sweets always change by season particularly in the spring (sakura flavors) and the fall (maple-leave shaped sweets). These kinds of sweets are only used in chakai informal gatherings. Monogashi sweets are moist sweets. These sweets tend to have the mixture of flour and rice powder on the outside and the red bean paste inside. They also change by every season.

What is Tea Ceremony Etiquette?

Japanese tea ceremony etiquette is similar to showing basic social manners such as being on time, wearing a clean pair of socks, and keeping quiet during the ceremony. Additionally, participants should not forget to take their shoes off when entering the building, put their cell phones on the manner mode, bow to the host, and abstain from using heavy fragrances.

It is expected that participants will wear a kimono or at least dress up conservatively. Hiding jewelry and watches would be ideal but not necessary. While everyone must be quiet when the host is purifying the tools, they are supposed to compliment the bowls and seasonal flowers at the end of the tea ceremony. When the host initiates the conversation, the topics should not be about personal matters but relate to the tea ceremony and seasonal changes.

The etiquette and expected manners may also depend on whether the guest is a beginner or not. For instance, advanced practitioners must bring their paper fans and sit on their knees for the whole time, but for first-timers failing to do so would not be considered a social faux pas. Additionally, most Japanese eat traditional sweets in three pieces and drink the tea in 3 sips. However, foreigners do not necessarily have to consider these as strict rules. On the other hand, one simple rule most beginners ignore is making the “slurping sound” after finishing the tea, which indicates the guest has finished drinking tea and enjoyed all of it.

History of Tea Ceremony

How did the Japanese tea ceremony start? The history of Japanese tea ceremonies begins with the arrival of the first tea leaves during the Nara period when there was so much influence from China. Back then, tea was used mostly as a medicine and only available to the rulers and the noble families. Later Zen monks used tea leaves to stay awake during late-night prayers.

Sen no Rikyu is a man who lived in the late 1500s and trained many warlords. He is considered the founder of the tea ceremony. He introduced the four main principles of tea ceremony: WA, KE, SEI, and JAKU (harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility). He also popularized the tea ceremony flowers and the WABI SABI style ceremony, which roughly means “simple is the best.” “The way of tea” cannot be understood without reading the principles of Sen no Rikyu. Unfortunately, Sen no Rikyu was punished by execution ordered by the regent, who was his student. The reason is still unknown today.

Over the years Japanese turned a simple tea drinking activity into a ritual where bonding and gaining peace of mind became the main aspects. In medieval times the samurai class used tea ceremonies for forming political alliances. Nowadays, the tea ceremony is practiced as a form of art and a unique cultural tradition.

The Meaning of Tea Ceremony: Ichi Go Ichi E

The founder of the tea ceremony Sen no Rikyu stated that the meaning of tea ceremony means being present at the moment and realizing that every moment only occurs once. His philosophy is known as ichi go ichi e : one time – one meeting. This phrase roughly translates as “every moment occurs only once” or “cherish every moment” or “once in a lifetime chance.”

The tea ceremony is not about the taste. It is all about enjoying the moment and remembering that this moment will never repeat. We have to forget about everything and just focus on drinking tea in harmony. Even when two people meet in the same room and drink from the same cup, it is not the same moment. The tea meeting, which may seem like a simple routine, should be deeply enjoyed as that tea moment will never come back.

What is the connection between tea ceremony and meditation?

Tea ceremony is mostly about bonding between the host and the guest but it is for sure a meditational activity as the great founder Sen no Rikyu called “jaku” (tranquility) one of the main elements of tea ceremony. Then one may ask why it is different from any other tea drinking activity and why it may lead to mindfulness and the ultimate peace of mind. At MAIKOYA we tell our guests that the answers lay in the basic elements of zen philosophy which are also deeply embedded in the culture of Japan. These are: Transience, Presence, Selflessness, Acceptance of Life as it is.

The term Zen may be difficult to define, but it can be referred to as mindfulness and the idea that simple actions can lead to the awakening of spirits. There are a lot of similarities between the main principles of the tea ceremony (harmony, respect, tranquility) and the philosophy of zen (mindfulness, nothingness, transience).

Tea ceremony involves following several prescribed steps, so one does not have to think about the next step and gain inner peace while performing this ritualistic activity. That is why the tea ceremony cannot be considered separately from Zen. We should also remember that matcha tea was introduced to Japan by the Zen Monk Eisai, who built the first Zen temple in Japan.