Tea Ceremony Related to Samurai

By Handmadesword.com PR Dept.
www.handmadesword.com

Handmadesword.com, the wholesale Japanese sword House All rights reserved

Perhaps one of the most fascinating arts that has come to be linked with the
samurai is the cha no yu, or tea ceremony. Few activities in general are quite as
thoroughly refined and thoughtful and yet evolved through such troubled times.
Complicated and yet utterly simple, at once straightforward and deep, the tea
ceremony in many ways could be a metaphor not only for the samurai ideal but
also for the land of Japan itself.

Tea was made popular in Japan during the early Kamakura largely thanks to
the efforts of the monk Eisai (1141-1215); fifty or so years later the Zen monk
Dai-o (1236-1308) returned from a visit to China and brought with him
knowledge of the tea ceremony as it was practiced in Chinese Zen monasteries.

Initially, and unsurprisingly, the tea ceremony was an activity indulged by the
nobility, as tea itself was primarily the elixir of the upper class at this time. This
began to change with the advent of Sen no Rikyû. A man of merchant
background from Sakai, Rikyû (known for much of his career as Sôeki) had
been trained as a tea man in the elegant Ashikaga style; he would in time reject
this school in favor of a very different approach. The nobility's tea ceremony had
been developed to cater to the sorts of individuals that partook of it, with elegant
Chinese utensils and great pains taken to avoid offending any guests of higher
status.

In his own take, Rikyû substituted the pricey utensils with simple, practical
ones, and replaced the expensive and often gaudy teahouses of the nobility
with the Sôan, or 'grass hut' style teahouse. The only way into the tearoom of a
Sôan was through a small door, the nijiriguchi, which was only some two and a
half feet square. Guests therefore entered by crawling, a deliberately humbling
device intended to create a sense of equality once inside.

Brief Introduction of Tea Ceremony

 The tea ceremony normally took place in a tearoom, the chachitsu. The
guests entered through the nijiriguchi, with samurai leaving their swords outside
(another conscious equalizer developed by Rikyû) and the last to enter closing
the door behind him. The tearoom was arranged so that those entering would
first spy a scroll hanging in the tokonoma - or alcove. This scroll was normally of
calligraphy, with its subject often that of a simple observation such as Honrai
mu Ichibutsu ('Originally there is nothing').2 As this scroll is carefully chosen by
the host to reflect a mood or the season, the guests customarily spend a
moment appreciating it before seating themselves around a small hearth in the
center of the room.

At this point the host enters, and the principal guest thanks him or her for their
invitation and politely inquires about the scroll or some other object in the room
should one be present. However, and throughout the time spent in the tearoom,
conversations and articulations are brief, and it was considered impolite to
speak of things not related to the ceremony. The principle guest then serves a
light meal (kaiseki) that was intended to be pleasing to the eye as well as the
taste. At this time, a modest serving of sake is also offered in shallow bowls,
followed by a piece of fruit or some other light dessert. The guests then exit the
tearoom while the host prepares it for the drinking of tea, replacing the scroll
with a single flower in a vase. When the guests return, the host heats water in
an iron kettle, then rinses and wipes the tea bowl and utensils. He places
powdered green tea in a bowl with a bamboo dipper, then whips the tea with a
whisk (also bamboo) until the surface is slightly frothy, then serves it to his
guests.

Two kinds of tea will be served: koicha, which is the more formal of the two
and possessed of a thicker consistency and bitter taste, and usucha - thinner
and more 'informal'. Koicha is served first, and all the guests drink a small
quantity from the same bowl. Later in the ceremony, usucha is served in
individual bowls. The tea bowls themselves can vary in design according to the
host and the season. 'Winter' tea bowls are deeper, to help contain heat, while
'summer' bowls are shallower and broader to release the heat and give the
impression of coolness.

Throughout the ceremony, the hosts and guests both aspire towards a sense
of tranquility.