Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony: How It Came and What Its Hidden Meaning

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Japanese culture has given the world the perfect recipe for getting away from everyday worries and finding a sense of peace and harmony with the world. A complex tea ceremony full of symbols is subordinated to rather simple principles, they connect naturalness and sophistication, simplicity and beauty. The "Way of Tea" - not eating, not sitting with friends - is a form of Buddhist meditation that arose about four centuries ago.

Ritual history

Like other traditional Japanese practices, the tea ceremony came to the islands of the Land of the Rising Sun from China. The drink itself has been familiar to the Japanese since the 7th century; it is believed to have been brought by Buddhist monks. By the 12th century, tea was already familiar to all classes of Japanese society; it was drunk both in a peasant hut and at the shogun's court. But if at first they gathered at tea to refresh themselves and talk, then from the 13th century the monks gave the process of drinking tea the character of a ritual. The first rules of the ceremony were developed by the master Dayo. Gradually developing and changing, the ritual of joint tea drinking spread beyond the walls of Buddhist monasteries, since the 15th century its rules have already been taught to the laity. The ceremony was also to the liking of the samurai, before important battles over drinking tea, they freed their thoughts and hearts from unnecessary burdens, from the fear of death.

Sen no Rikyu, who lived in the 16th century, greatly influenced the formation of the tea ceremony. He studied tea traditions from his youth, and by the age of sixty he became one of the most influential masters. The samurai said about his rituals: "". In the art of the tea ceremony, Rikyu relied on the Japanese idea of "" - simplicity and naturalness - and "" - beauty and sophistication.

In 1591, Sen no Rikyu, by order of the ruler Toyotami Hideyoshi, committed hara-kiri. The reasons are unknown - only suggestions are made that Hideyoshi did not accept the principle of simplicity on which Rikyu based his teaching, and considered its influence to be excessive. According to an old custom, the ritual suicide of the master was preceded by a tea ceremony.

The Rikyu school continued to exist, his descendants and followers developed tea traditions, relying on the created by the master. It was Rikyu who determined the etiquette of the ceremony, and also the requirements for the utensils used in the ceremony. In addition, thanks to the master, in addition to the tea house, where the tea-drinking took place, they began to create an adjoining garden and path. The house itself was built extremely simple, like a peasant hut - nothing superfluous, full compliance with the principles of Zen Buddhism. Tea was prepared and drunk from ceramic dishes, simple and no frills.

The main purpose of the ritual was for all guests to find peace, release from everyday worries, appeal to beauty and truth. Four hundred years later, the meaning of the tea ceremony remains the same.

Not just tea drinking, but meditation

The Japanese tea ceremony is based on four principles: - purity, - respect, - harmony and - calmness. The tea drinking itself is a strictly defined sequence of actions of the participants, where there is no place for improvisation or deviation from the rules of the corresponding school. Due to the fact that all guests of the tea house strictly obey the order, participating in a common ritual, a special mood arises, similar to meditative practices, allowing them to move away from your habitual self. During the ceremony, the masters create an atmosphere that leads to pacification, harmony with the world and nature - this state is achieved through the consistent performance of many rituals.

They begin even before the guests enter the room where the ceremony will take place. The owner meets the participants of the ceremony in the garden -, escorts them along the stone path to a small well-pool, where with the help of a special ladle they can wash their hands and mouth. This symbolizes not only bodily purity, but also spiritual purity. After that, the guests follow to the tea house -.

In its traditional form, this house had a very low door - less than a meter in height, so that those who entered had to kneel down to get inside. In addition, a small doorway forced armed samurai to leave long swords outside the room - during the ceremony, guests were not distracted by social conventions associated with ranks or objects that disturb the peace - the guests seemed to be outside the familiar world. According to Japanese custom, shoes were left at the doorstep - this is still done today. The owner can give each guest a small folded fan as a sign of hospitality, it is not allowed to open it - this is considered impolite.

The decor of the room where the tea is held - it is the only one in the tea house - is modest: nothing should distract the participants from meditation. As decorations in the room there is only a bouquet of flowers, on the wall there is a scroll with a philosophical saying chosen by the host for the upcoming ceremony, as well as a painting or a calligraphic inscription.

How is the tea ceremony

The only room of the house is small, its walls are usually painted gray, in the room there is shade or even twilight. The Japanese avoid excessive lighting, trying to shade the environment and leave a minimum of light. If the ceremony is held in the dark, lanterns are lit by the path to the chashitsu so that their light allows you to see the path without distracting. The most important part of the room is the niche where the dictum scroll and flowers, as well as incense are placed.

The host and guests sit on the tatami on their knees. The hearth in which tea is prepared is in the middle of the room. At the beginning of the ceremony, a light, simple meal is served, which is only needed so that guests do not feel discomfort from hunger. It is served while the water is heated in a kettle or kettle. Just before the tea is poured, the host passes on sweets to the guests. Their purpose is to prepare for the bitterness of the tea, in order to achieve a harmony of taste. During the tea ceremony, only green powdered matcha tea is used.

There is no place for negligence in the way the master prepares tea, literally every gesture is regulated and filled with its own philosophy. The handle of the ladle, with which the tea is poured into the cup, is directed to the heart, the cup itself is held with the right hand, the handkerchief used to remove the teapot lid is folded in a certain way. The process of making tea takes place in complete silence, guests hear only the sounds that come from the touch of utensils, boiling water - the latter is poeticly called "wind in the pines." After each guest has received a cup of tea from the host, a conversation begins. Art, discussion of a phrase from a scroll in a niche, reading poetry - this is what is discussed during the ceremony. Of the obligatory questions that guests must ask the owner, the one that concerns the utensils: when and by whom it was created. By tradition, the dishes are ceramic, immaculately clean, but with traces of long-term use. And each subject, of course, has its own role. Despite the main goal - to get away from the bustle of the outside world, during the tea ceremony, the season is still taken into account, in summer, in the heat, tea is served in a wide bowl, where the drink is quickly cooled, in winter - in a high and narrow one, it keeps warm for a long time.

The flowers that adorn the tokonoma niche should open slightly towards the end of the ceremony, which reminds the tea participants of the time spent together. At the end of the tea party, the host is the first to leave the house, but the ritual does not end after the last guest leaves. Left alone, the master removes the utensils and flowers, wipes the tatami: traces of the ceremony that recently took place in the teahouse should remain only in consciousness.

Another incarnation of wabi sabi in Japanese art is haiku three-verses.