The Japanese tea ceremony is a cultural activity known as or . The ceremony focuses on the presentation and serving of , powdered green tea; this procedure is called . Much less commonly, Japanese tea practice uses leaf tea, primarily sencha. This practice is known as senchadō (煎茶道, 'the way of sencha').
In Japanese, there is a term, Sadō or Chadō, which means "tea way" and emphasizes the Tao (道). The English term Teaism was coined by Okakura Kakuzō to describe the unique worldview associated with the Japanese way of tea, rather than focusing solely on its presentation, which was initially perceived by some Western observers as ceremonial.
In the 1500s, Sen no Rikyū revolutionized Japanese tea culture. He played a key role in developing what is now known as the Japanese tea ceremony and elevated it to the status of an art form. He redefined the rules of the tea house, tea garden, utensils, and procedures of the tea ceremony with his own interpretation. He also introduced a much smaller and rustic, distorted ceramic tea bowls specifically for the tea ceremony, and emphasized the tea ceremony based on the aesthetic of .
Sen no Rikyū's great-grandchildren founded the Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōjisenke schools of tea ceremony. As a result, the tea ceremony spread not only to and the samurai class but also to the general public, which led to the establishment of various tea ceremony schools that continue to this day.
Zen Buddhism and Shinto has greatly influenced the culture of Japanese tea. For example, the practice of purifying one's hands and mouth before practicing the tea ceremony is influenced by the Shinto purification ritual of . The architectural style of the chashitsu and the gate that serves as the boundary between the tea garden and the secular world has been influenced by Shinto shrine architecture and the . Buddhists used tea to prevent drowsiness during long meditations.
Tea gatherings are classified as either an informal tea gathering, , or a formal tea gathering, . A is a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes , thin tea, and perhaps a light meal. A is a much more formal gathering, usually including a full-course meal followed by confections, thick tea, and thin tea. A may last up to four hours.
History
The first documented evidence of tea in Japan dates to the 9th century. An entry in the describes Buddhist monk bringing tea back to Japan from Tang China. Eichū personally prepared and served (tea steeped in hot water) to Emperor Saga, who was on an excursion in Karasaki (present Shiga Prefecture) in 815. By imperial order in 816, tea plantations began to be cultivated in the Kinki region of Japan. However, the interest in tea in Japan faded after this.
In China, tea had already been known, according to legend, for more than three thousand years (though the earliest archaeological evidence of tea-drinking dates to the 2nd century BCE). The form of tea popular in China in Eichū's time was – tea compressed into a nugget in the same manner as the tea is today. This dancha would be ground in a mortar, then mixed with various other herbs and flavourings. The custom of drinking tea, first for medicinal, and then largely for pleasurable reasons, was already widespread throughout China. In the early 9th century, the Chinese author Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea, a treatise on tea that focuses on its cultivation and preparation. Lu Yu's, heavily influenced by Buddhism, particularly the Zen–Chán Buddhist school, strongly influenced the development of Japanese tea culture.
Around the end of the 12th century, the style of tea preparation called , in which powdered was placed into a bowl, hot water added, and the tea and hot water whipped together, was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monk Eisai on his return from China. He also brought tea seeds back with him, which eventually produced tea considered to be the finest in all of Japan. This powdered green tea was first used in religious rituals in Buddhist monasteries. By the 13th century, when the Kamakura shogunate ruled the nation and tea and the luxuries associated with it became a kind of status symbol among the warrior class, there arose parties wherein contestants could win prizes for guessing the best quality tea – that was grown in Kyoto, deriving from the seeds that Eisai brought from China.
The next major period in Japanese history was the Muromachi period. This era pointed to the rise of , centered around the cultural world of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and his villa in the northern hills of Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji). Later, during this period, the rise of Higashiyama culture, centered around Ashikaga Yoshimasa and his retirement villa in the eastern hills of Kyoto (Ginkaku-ji). This period, approximately 1336 to 1573, saw the budding of what is generally regarded as Japanese traditional culture as it is known today.
The use of Japanese tea developed into a "transformative practice" and began to evolve its own aesthetic, in particular that of principles. represents the inner, or spiritual, experiences of human lives. Its original meaning indicated quiet or sober refinement, or subdued taste, characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry, and "emphasizes simple, unadorned objects and architectural space, and celebrates the mellow beauty that time and care impart to materials."
represents the material side of life. Originally, it meant "worn", "weathered", or "decayed". Particularly among the nobility, understanding emptiness was considered the most effective means to spiritual awakening, while embracing imperfection was honoured as a reminder to cherish one's unpolished and unfinished nature, considered to be the first step to , or enlightenment. Central to the concepts of omotenashi, which revolves around hospitality.
Murata Jukō is an early developer of tea as a spiritual practice. He studied Zen under the monk Ikkyū, who revitalized Zen in the 15th century, and this is considered to have influenced his concept of .
By the 16th century, tea drinking had spread to all levels of society in Japan. Sen no Rikyū and his work Southern Record, perhaps the best-known – and still revered – historical figure in tea, followed his master Takeno Jōō's concept of , a philosophy that each meeting should be treasured, for it can never be reproduced. His teachings developed many newly forms in architecture and gardens, art, and the formalized of the "way of tea". The principles he set forward – , , , and – are still central to tea.Rupert Cox – The Zen Arts: An Anthropological Study of the Culture of Aesthetic 2013 1136855580 "Jaku is significantly different from the other three principles of the chado: wa, kei and set. These all substantiate the normative procedures of chado. Jaku, on the other hand, is pure creation."
Sen no Rikyū was the leading tea master of Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who supported him in spreading the way of tea, also as a means of solidifying his own political power. Hideyoshi's tastes were influenced by his teamaster, but nevertheless, he also had his own ideas to cement his power, such as constructing the Golden Tea Room and hosting the Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony in 1587. The symbiotic relationship between politics and tea was at its height. However, it was increasingly at odds with the rustic, simple aesthetics continuously advertised by his tea master, which the regent increasingly saw as a threat to cementing his own power and position, and their once close relationship began to suffer.
In 1590, one of the leading disciples of Rikyu, Yamanoue Sōji, was executed on orders of the regent. One year later, the regent ordered his tea master's ritual suicide. The way of tea and politics became closely intertwined during this period. After Rikyū's death, three schools descended from him to continue the tradition, and the practice continued to spread throughout the country and later developed not only among the court and samurai class, but also among the townspeople. Many schools of the Japanese tea ceremony have evolved over the long history of and remain active today.
Venues
Japanese tea ceremonies are typically conducted in specially constructed spaces or rooms designed for the purpose of the tea ceremony. While a purpose-built -floored room is considered the ideal venue, any place where the necessary implements for the making and serving of the tea can be set out and where the host can make the tea in the presence of the seated guest(s) can be used as a tea venue. For instance, a tea gathering can be held picnic-style in the outdoors, known as . For this occasion, a red parasol called is used. However, when held outdoors, they tend to emphasize the natural surroundings, are more relaxed, are mostly held over the summer or spring, and use more rustic utensils.
A purpose-built room designed for the style of tea is called a and is ideally 4.5 in floor area. A purpose-built typically has a low ceiling, a hearth built into the floor, an alcove for hanging scrolls and placing other decorative objects, and separate entrances for host and guests. It also has an area known as a (水屋, "water room"), where the host is able to prepare, clean, and store their equipment before and after the ceremony. This also allows the host to preserve the formality of the ceremony by performing these tasks outside of the guests' view.
A 4.5-mat room is considered standard, but smaller and larger rooms are also used. Building materials and decorations are deliberately simple and rustic in -style tea rooms. can also refer to free-standing buildings for tea. Known in English as tea houses, such structures may contain several tea rooms of different sizes and styles, dressing and waiting rooms, and other amenities, and be surrounded by a tea garden called a .
Seasons Seasonality and the changing of the seasons are considered important for the enjoyment of tea and the tea ceremony. Traditionally, tea practitioners divide the year into two main seasons: the season, corresponding with the colder months (traditionally November to April), and the season, corresponding with the warmer months (traditionally May to October).
The weather determines when to use the sunken hearth or brazier. During the sunken hearth season, the Chajin opens the sunken hearth in the middle of the tea room, where it heats the water and is the only form of heat in the room during the winter. During the brazier season, water is heated in a raised brazier. During the time of year when the brazier does not provide enough heat to the room for the guests to stay warm, but the hearth was too warm, the Chajin could cover the hearth with the lid and put the brazier on top of it.
In addition to the location of the hearth or brazier, smaller aspects also differ. During the winter, a type of incense known as Neriko, a type of incense that is formed into pellets, is used. Jin or Byakudan are used in the summer, and at the end of spring or the beginning of autumn, the Chajin puts out Kokukobei or Umegako. Guests drink tea from a more cylindrical style bowl in the winter to keep in heat, and use a flat bowl in the summer to release heat. Different designs are depicted on the tea bowl based on the season. During the summer, participants wear a kimono made up of one layer to ensure that it is not too hot. However, outside the summer, participants wear a double-layered kimono so they will be warmer. Additionally, the flowers displayed are used to subtly reflect the changing seasons and can help the guests feel nature's rhythm. The configuration of the in a 4.5 mat room often changes with the season as well.
Thick and thin tea