Tea Customs and Culture in JapanWhen Emporor Saga received tea at Sukuduji Temple in 815, the method of preparation was brick tea. The leaves were steamed and formed into a hard brick. To make the it, the leaves were shaved into boiling water and seasonings were added. Apparently, this method didn’t agree with the Japanese taste because tea wasn’t mentioned again in Japanese history until about two hundred years later. Around the end of the 12th century, a scholar priest by the name of Eisai reintroduced tea seeds to Japan. His written work, called Kissa Yojoki tauted the health benefits of tea. Buddhist priests and heir followers began to embrace the practice of drinking tea once again. The method of preparation that Eisai brought to Japan involved the green tea powder known as matcha. The utensils used to prepare the matcha were a kettle, a bowl and a whisk. This method evolved into the Chado or Cha no yu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, “the way of tea”. There are fundamentals of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism blended in this art of taking tea. Monks prized the stimulant properties of the beverage as an aid to their long periods of meditation. In the earliest forms of the ceremony, monks would gather and share a bowl of tea and begin their meditation. It was Sen no Rikkyu who set the standards for the Japanese Tea Ceremony around the 15th century. It is more than just a cup of tea. It is a quiet respite at which time a host and his or her guests enjoy spiritual refreshment and universal harmony. It captures the essence of philosophy and beauty, interweaving the four principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. A full tea involves a meal, the serving of two different types of tea and may last for four hours. The ceremonies are called chakai and are held to honor special guests or to celebrate special occasions. Special occasions may be personal or universal, such as the full moon or the blossoming of the cherry trees. Every aspect of the ceremony is meticulously chosen for the event, including flowers, the vase, wall hangings and the tea ware. The following is representative of a ceremony. As guests enter, they are guided through a series of doors to a waiting room where they are served a small cup of hot water in a porcelain bowl. This is just a taste of the water that will be used in the tea making. They proceed to the garden and are met by the host or hostess who opens the gate and greets them silently with a bow. This passage through the garden gate represents leaving the everyday world to enter the tranquility of the ceremony. There may be the sounds of a fountain or spring and the song of birds and the fragrance of nearby jasmine. Guests pause at a basin of running water to wash their hands. The guests near the tea room. The entrance is low, which requires them to stoop or kneel to enter. This is a gesture of humility. Once inside it is appropriate for the guests to admire the careful and thorough preparations for the ceremony, the tea ware, flowers and wall hangings. They kneel on the straw mats and sit back on their heels. The host/hostess then lights the charcoal fire. A fine meal and sake may be served which lasts perhaps an hour. The meal is simply a preparation for the tea that will be served. Once the meal is finished, the guests will retire to the garden for the tea room to be prepared. When they return inside they will spend the next hour sharing a bowl of premium green tea. The tea is most always a premium matcha, but may also be a high end sencha or gyokuro. A sweet cake made from soybean curd is eaten as a compliment to the tea. Conversation continues and the host/hostess boils the kettle another time. Another serving of tea and sweets are offered. At the end of this second serving, the guests and host/hostess exchange final greetings and they part. A student intent upon becoming a Tea Master commits to a lengthy and demanding training. One can learn the basic rituals within about three years or so, but becoming a Tea Master is a lifetime pursuit.
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