Japanese Tea Ceremony

Harmony, respect, purity and tranquility are the four basic principles of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Tea was traveled to Japan along with Zen. According to Japanese legend, after a trip to discuss religious education in China, the Japanese monk Eisai brought back some tea seeds and planted them in the temple courtyard. He recorded everything related to the hobby of drinking tea through the book "Kissa Yojoki" - Kissa Yojoki.

Traditional Japanese tea culture started in the 8th century, was considered one of the three classical Japanese fine arts, alongside kodo incense appreciation and kado flower arranging. When the monk Eichu prepared Sencha - a type of green tea made by steeping tea leaves in hot water, and offering the tea to Emperor Saga. Impressed by this drink, the emperor ordered tea plantations to be cultivated in the Kinki region of western Japan. Green tea was used in religious ceremonies in monasteries. Tea drinking soon became associated with the upper classes of Japanese society in 12th century, and by the 16th century drinking tea was common among all levels of Japanese society.

Besides the traditional Japanese tea culture at the time, which was considered a luxury by the aristocracy, who preferred to use Chinese tea utensils and enjoy tea in luxurious tea rooms, the monks such as Murata Junko and Takeno Joo enjoys tea in a more humble and calm way. They find the simple beauty that exists in the tea-drinking culture, they enjoy tea by the thatched roof with a gentle sunrise or sunset. Tea is conducted by the monk's ritual, attaching importance to spiritual life, being with nature, they focus on the practice of Tea ceremony in themselves, in their lifestyle, in each person's clear mind. The tea ceremony was formed from there.

Sen no Rikyu is arguably the most famous figure in the history of Japanese tea, he was the one who codified the practices and set the standard of the Tea Ceremony. He identified principles that must be incorporated in the tea ceremony: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.

The tea ceremony shows the simple task of preparing drinks for the guests, yet the form is very artistic, it is a series of complex movements performed in strict sequence and is appreciated by the guests who receiving the tea.

Today the Tea Ceremony is practiced by a number of different schools. Most of them fall into a merchant style tea, that was started by Sen no Rikyu and continued through his bloodline; or into warrior style tea, that were started by Sen no Rikyu’s students.

As for the rituals themselves, there were thousands of variations. That was because the enactment of the ritual depends on so many factors, such as the season, the time of the day, the level of the guests, the kind of space used, the kind items used and so on.

In most cases, the tea ceremony was divided into two rituals: Koicha and Usucha, and the Koicha ceremony is more formal.

Koicha is a thick tea - 4gr of tea powder is mixed into about 40ml of water. Tea is prepared in a bowl and about 5 to 7 guests share a tea bowl. When the Koicha ritual begins, the sound and lights are reduced. Guests spend their minds to enjoy tea, each small sip is smooth, natural sweetness, elegant bitter taste.....

Usucha is a ritual with lighter Matcha, not as thick as Koicha. The fine foam of the tea cup is evaluated as the quality of the tea cup. In this ritual, guests do not share tea bowls, they are invited in separate bowl. Sound and light and more colorful instruments in this ritual.

Compiled and penned by Crocus Media