Chado, The Japanese Way of Tea: a Celebration of Harmony, Tradition, and Imperfect Beauty

Sense of Japan - Japanese Tea Ceremony from Naoki MIYASHITA/ Terminal81 Film on Vimeo
 

The Tea Ceremony (or teaism) - defined by Japanese scholar and art critic Okakura Kakuzō as "a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence" that "inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life." [The Book of Tea] - isn't purely about serving and drinking tea: it's a spiritual experience that focusses on aesthetics, simplicity, seasonality (colors, designs, and flowers all reflect the time of the year).

The concept of Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会) - commonly translated as "for this time only", and "once in a lifetime" - tends to be associated with tea ceremony, as this ritual does delicately capture the ephemeral beauty of passing time and stresses the importance of cherishing and appreciating every moment we live and every encounter we make. Feudal lord and tea ceremony practicioner Ii Naosuke is reported to have claimed that "Great attention should be given to a tea gathering, which we can speak of as 'one time, one meeting' (ichigo, ichie). Even though the host and guests may see each other often socially, one day's gathering can never be repeated exactly. Viewed this way, the meeting is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. The host, accordingly, must in true sincerity take the greatest care with every aspect of the gathering and devote himself entirely to ensuring that nothing is rough. The guests, for their part, must understand that the gathering cannot occur again and, appreciating how the host has flawlessly planned it, must also participate with true sincerity. This is what is meant by 'one time, one meeting'." [Rhetoric and Kairos: Essays in History, Theory, and Praxis].
 

Katsushika Hokusai - Teahouse at Koishikawa the morning after a snowfall

Image source: Library of Congress
 

Isoda Koryūsai - The Courtesan Karahama of Yamashiroya Performing the Tea Ceremony
(Image source: The Cleveland Museum of Art)
 

A tea ceremony can be either informal and relatively simple, or formal and elaborate: the former - chakai (茶会) - does usually involve thin tea and accompanying sweets, while the latter - known as chaji (茶事) - includes a meal, thick tea (koicha, 濃茶), thin tea (usucha, 薄茶), and traditional sweets (wagashi, 和菓子), offered to guests BEFORE tea is served to contrast the bitter taste of matcha.
 

(Image source: Flickr - Author: Annabelle Orozco)


(Image source: Flickr - Author: Yuichi Sakuraba)


(Image source: Flickr - Author: Yuichi Sakuraba)


(Image source: Flickr - Author: Yuichi Sakuraba)


(Image source: Flickr - Author: Yuichi Sakuraba)


Higashi (干菓子/乾菓子), on the other hand, are dry wagashi usually served during the thin tea ceremony:


(Image source: Flickr - Author: Yuichi Sakuraba)

(Image and poem source: National Diet Library - Japanese Sweets Designs )

"Wagashi such as Nerikiri and Konashi give a sense of the time of year by representing seasonal customs and sights with bean paste"
 

**************

Related articles:

Gift Giving Etiquette in The Confucian-Asia Cluster: The Luxury Fruit Culture

**************

TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS

Attractions, Tours, Experiences: Paid/Live (PL), Paid/Virtual (PV)

JAPAN

- JAPAN RAIL PASS (P)

- SIM Card with Internet (P)

- Japanese Sweets: Mochi, Daifuku and Wagashi Class, Tokyo (PL)

- Matcha Delight: Make Popular Japanese Desserts with Matcha,Tokyo (PL)

- Experience the Tea Ceremony in Tokyo Ginza with a 30+ Years Experience Master, Tokyo (PL)

- Make Your Own Matcha Tea in a Traditional Tea Ceremony, Kyoto (PL)

- Matcha Tea Tour of Uji, Kyoto (PL)

- Nishiki Market Food Tour, Kyoto (PL)

- Japanese Calligraphy Class in Kimono, Kyoto (PL)

UK

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY WORKSHOP, LONDON (PL)

VIRTUAL 

- Tea Ceremony Experience Online by Maikoya, Virtual Tea Classes Available Daily (PV)

- TEA CEREMONY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP (PV)