By Stef S., Upton Tea Consultant
The tea master kneels on the tatami mat, using a decorative cloth called a fukusa to clean each of the tools set out before them: a beautifully ornate natsume tea canister, a fine thin chashaku bamboo tea scoop, a hishaku water ladle. They is symbolically purifying them, one by one, to show care and consideration for each object as well as for the honored guests who kneel on the mat before them. To cherish each precious sound of this peaceful occasion — the clink of the lid on the kettle, the tap of the teaspoon on the bowl, the sound of the water simmering — conversation is sparse and, at times, avoided entirely. The tea master gently lifts the hishaku water ladle to warm the tea bowl with water from a pot sitting nearby on a hearth.
In nearly perfect economy of motion, she lifts the lid of the natsume, without hesitation or grandeur, to reveal a vibrant green powder, which she swiftly measures into the bowl.
Pouring water carefully over the Matcha powder, she quickly and expertly whisks the tea until frothy. In perfect anticipation of her actions without verbally communicating, the guests bow and accept the gift of tea to share. When the company moves and thinks as a single unit in a moment of understanding like this one, they embody the spirit of ichi za konryu: to become one in a moment of sharing.
Cha-no-yu, the Japanese tea ceremony, is a time-honored and cherished tradition: a ceremony crafted for the optimal enjoyment of the experience of drinking a bowl of tea, arranged with great care and detail to create beauty and harmony in this moment of simplicity. To understand the complexity of Cha-no-yu and its cultural value, let us begin with the history of the tea that inspired the ceremony: a powdered green tea known today as Matcha, prized for its characteristic umami (savory vegetal) flavor.
Matcha first made its appearance in Japan in 1187 AD, when a Zen Buddhist monk named Eisai encountered a unique method of tea preparation while studying abroad in China. The common practice at the time in Japan was to process tea by steaming the leaves of the tea bush and then compacting them into small, round cakes to dry. These cakes were lightly roasted to remove the last of their moisture and then pulverized into a coarse powder. When it was time for a cup of tea, the powder was stirred into a pot of boiling water with salt and spices, and the resulting liquid was spooned off the top of the pot to avoid the dregs lurking at the bottom. Eisai’s colleagues, the Zen Buddhist monks of China, preferred to enjoy their tea in a similar way to how Matcha tea is prepared today: the powder was added to a bowl, hot water was poured over it and then it was whisked until frothy. This beverage was referred to as “whipped tea.” As Zen Buddhism is a principle that emphasizes rigorous self-restraint and meditation practice, the tea’s high caffeine content made it an ideal companion to routine meditation, keeping students and masters awake and alert.
At the time, it was believed that tea improved the overall spiritual and physical wellness of a person.
Upon his return to Japan, legend says that Eisai planted tea seeds and seedlings in Ureshino village at Mount Seburi in Saga prefecture, to share with his home country the wellness that tea brings.
The first tea ceremonies evolved from Eisai’s successors, who held an annual event in his honor called oˉcha-mori where tea was shared as the monks paid respect to Buddha and prayed for good health. This early relationship between the Zen philosophy and tea led to the ritualization of the rite of tea, as well as the use of special tools in the tea ceremony. As Zen Buddhism flowed from China to Japan, so too did many fine pieces of Chinese artisanal teaware purchased by monks who traveled between the two countries.
Intimate gatherings of monks praying over tea evolved into larger occasions of merrymaking.
Participants would partake in meals together before tea and play a game called toˉcha where participants attempted to guess the differences between teas in a taste test. As popularity of these parties grew, the aristocratic Daimyo lords and elite warrior Samurai class held their own tea-themed affairs. These gatherings took place in mansions where the wealthy and powerful men would show off hundreds of pieces of fine imported arts and teaware during lavish feasts and large games of toˉcha in which gambling took the center of attention.
By the 1400s, the tea ceremony had almost entirely lost its original spirit of Zen and simplicity when the intervention of three key forces influenced a return to form. First, there were the wealthy and influential Sakai city merchants who cherished the tea ceremony as an opportunity to showcase their products. They emphasized the importance of a minimal, austere setting in which to display teawares highlighting the beauty of elaborate Japanese folk crafts. At this time, local goods were valued more highly than imported Chinese antiques, introducing the element of Japanese craftsmanship into the tea ceremony. In addition, monks began to hold more reserved ceremonies, with just a few guests, to reintroduce an element of the “study of humbleness,” to the Way of Tea. What further cemented this shift in attitude was the increasing availability of tea to the common person unaffiliated with wealth, power or religion.
The audience of the tea ceremony widened, leaving its temporal wealth and extravagance behind.
The Japanese tea ceremony has come full circle, developing over time into an elaborate and complex performance of the everyday act of making tea, thoughtfully designed to follow an intricate number of carefully rehearsed steps. This traditional “art of tea” is a rite performed by tea masters who spend years studying chadoˉ, the Way of Tea, and temae, its performance, in order to demonstrate the following values: wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity) and jaku (tranquility). The setting and visual aspects of the tea ceremony have likewise been honed and simplified over time to create a more peaceful atmosphere that embodies these values.
In a way, Cha-no-yu is a celebration of tea itself, as it strives to create and appreciate a sense of sacredness in tea by a process that appreciates the beauty and simplicity of life and the human connection.