茶道

The Way of Tea

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Presented by Tracy Russell

茶道 - Chado

At its core, Chado is about serving tea and refreshments to a guest, as an elemental act of hospitality.

The first of the seven precepts of the way of tea is:

Make a satisfying bowl of tea.

茶道 - Chado

In order to prepare and serve tea to his guests, a host uses very deliberate movements, which lend the practice to often be referred to as a "Tea Ceremony".

The name "Chado" more directly translates to "Way of Tea", however, and it emphasizes that studying tea is an ongoing practice and a way of life.

抹茶 - Matcha

The tea used in Chado is matcha tea, which was brought from China to Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisai.

Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves that are harvested, steamed in order to retain their bright green color, dried, and finely ground into a powder.

抹茶 - Matcha

抹茶 - Matcha

A bowl of tea is made by adding hot water to this matcha tea powder, and then they are whisked together.

This means that when you drink matcha tea, you are consuming the entire tea leaf, which is full of good things like antioxidants!

Matcha can be made into usucha (薄茶), thin tea with a frothy consistency, or koicha (濃茶), thick tea with the consistency of heavy cream.

抹茶 - Matcha

お菓子 - Okashi

A bowl of tea is not complete without first having an accompanying sweet confection, called okashi.

Originally, fruit and nuts were used for tea sweets, such as persimmons, peaches, walnuts, and jujube dates.

Chinese deliciacies like char siu bao, a barbecue-pork-filled bun, were then introduced, though they were not sweet, as sugar was considered a luxury item.

お菓子 - Okashi

In the 16th century, the Portuguese brought with them sweets made from sugar and egg yolks, and these became extremely popular as tea sweets.

From here began the era of 'wagashi' or Japanese-style confection making, with ingredients like sugar, bean paste, rice flour, and arrowroot.

和菓子 - Wagashi

Thin tea is often served with higashi, a type of wagashi that is dry. Some examples of higashi include:

  • Rakugan - a sweet pressed into a shaped mold
  • Senbei - a rice cracker
  • Conpeito - from Portuguese confeito, a sugar candy

和菓子 - Wagashi

和菓子 - Wagashi

Thick tea is often served with omogashi, a type of wagashi that is larger and moister than higashi.

When confectioners create omogashi, they use different ingredients, coloring, and presentation to create sweets that evoke beautiful and often seasonal imagery.

These sweets are thought of as a form of edible art, and they are often given poetic names.

和菓子 - Wagashi

茶道 - Chado

Sweets are just one way that seasonality is brought into the tea room. One of the seven precepts of the way of tea is:

Provide a sense of coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter.

We accomplish bringing a seasonal mood or feeling to our guests through the objects and utensils we utilize in the tea room.

床の間 - Tokonoma

The tokonoma is a recessed alcove of the tea room in which a variety of items are displayed, often including a calligraphic scroll, flowers, and an incense container.

The items in the tokonoma can be used to convey a certain mood or feeling to the guests. For example, consider the following text from two different scrolls:

One snowflake over the red hearth.

Leaves, leaves are lifted by the pure wind.

床の間 - Tokonoma

Another of the seven precepts of the way of tea is:

The flowers should be as if they are in the field.

In other words, the flowers that are displayed in the tokonoma should be arranged in a way that showcases their natural beauty. The host will often choose flowers that are notable for growing in the current season.

床の間 - Tokonoma

道具 - Dougu

Many utensils, called dougu, are used by a host to prepare a bowl of tea for a guest. These include items made out of ceramics, cloth, and bamboo.

As a student of the way of tea, one learns how to appreciate, safely handle, and use a variety of dougu.

A host also learns how to choose utensils that artistically complement each other and that help to reinforce the mood or seasonal feeling that he is trying to impart to the guest.

道具 - Dougu

道具 - Dougu

道具 - Dougu

道具 - Dougu

道具 - Dougu

侘寂 - Wabi-sabi

It would not be a completely far-fetched conclusion to assume that all tea students must be wildly rich, in possession of multitudes of exquisite and beautiful tea items.

This, however, is not the case.

Chado embraces the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which is a view that is centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

侘寂 - Wabi-sabi

"Wabi" refers to rustic simplicity and an appreciation of an item's understated elegance.

"Sabi" refers to aged beauty and an appreciation of an item's patina and wear.

A host does not need multi-thousand dollar utensils to make a good bowl of tea. His guest can appreciate the aesthetic of even simple utensils if they are combined thoughtfully and used earnestly.

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

The wabi-sabi nature of chado was popularized by Sen no Rikyu (1522 - 1591), a tea master who is thought to have reshaped and formalized the nature and practice of chado into what we still think of today.

For example, Rikyu liked using barely-modified natural objects in the tea room, such as bamboo or gourd vases. He also appreciated the uniqueness and subtle beauty of items that were old, broken, or imperfect.

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

It's worth noting that at the time of Sen no Rikyu, chado was a study created by men for men.

Women only started studying tea at the start of the 20th century, and even then only wealthy women had the luxury of free time to devote to the practice.

Eventually, people considered chado a socially-desirable hobby for young women, which is most likely when geishas started practicing it as well.

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

Three of Rikyu's grandsons started three major schools of chado, all of which were devoted to passing on the teachings of Sen no Rikyu:

  • Omotesenke (表千家) practiced in the tea house in the front of the Sen estate
  • Urasenke (裏千家) practiced in the tea house in the rear of the Sen estate
  • Mushakoujisenke (武者小路千家) practiced in a tea house on Mushakouji street

和敬清寂 - Wa Kei Sei Jaku

Perhaps the biggest influence that Rikyu had on chado was incorporating the philosophy of Zen Buddhism into its teachings. He emphasized four principles:

和 - Wa - Harmony

敬 - Kei - Respect

清 - Sei - Purity

寂 - Jaku - Tranquility

和敬清寂 - Wa Kei Sei Jaku

Tea practitioners strive to put aside differences in the tearoom and come together in harmony.

They show respect for each other, utensils, and ideas through mindfulness.

They aim to have a purity of intention, which extends to the care with which they treat objects and people.

Through these practices, practitioners of chado aim to find tranquility in a chaotic world.

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

We've already talked about three of Rikyu's seven precepts of making tea:

Make a satisfying bowl of tea.

Provide a sense of coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter.

The flowers should be as if they are in the field.

千利休 - Sen no Rikyu

The last four are equally important and should come as no surprise:

Lay the charcoal so that the water boils efficiently.

Be ready ahead of time.

Be prepared in case it should rain.

Be thoughtful of the other guests.

一期一会 - Ichi-go, ichi-e

One major tenant of the way of the tea that really resounds with me was a concept that Rikyu learned from his own master: 一期一会 ichi-go, ichi-e.

Literally translated, this means "one time, one meeting".

The thought encourages us to cherish every moment because the exact same moment will not happen ever again. We are encouraged to take a deep breath, soak in life, and truly experience each moment.

茶道 - Chado

As mentioned earlier, "Chado" translates to "Way of Tea", and it emphasizes that studying tea is an ongoing practice and a way of life, more than just about executing a "Tea Ceremony". Hopefully through the course of today's presentation, you've been convinced of just that.

A student of chado dabbles in the studies of history, calligraphy, ceramics, textiles, flower arranging, sweet making, and Zen philosophy.

...and especially in making a satisfying bowl of tea.

Demonstration

Learning more

Interested in learning more? Here are a few resources you may be interested in:

ありがとう - Arigatou!