The Basics: Japanese Tea Ceremony

Tea as a transformative experience is at the heart of the formal tea ceremony, known as “chaji”. The ritualized preparation, serving and drinking of powdered green tea is meant to teach a host to bring his full being to the creation of an occasion centered on aesthetic, intellectual and physical enjoyment, and peace of mind for one’s guests. It is an act of service, in the name of beauty; a combination of sensuality and spirituality.

To achieve this, the tea host or hostess spends year—even a lifetime—mastering the measured procedures for serving tea in front of guests, learning to appreciate art, crafts, poetry and calligraphy; and learning to arrange flowers, cook and care for a garden. It all simultaneously reinforces grace, selflessness and attentiveness to the needs of others.
Though all efforts of the host are directed towards the enjoyment of the participants, the ceremony is equally designed to direct the guest’s attention on the simple beauty of nature and human creativity. Conversation in the tearoom is focused on these subjects, rather than small talk or gossip.

The objective of a tea gathering is that of Zen Buddhism—to live in this moment—and the entire ritual is designed to focus the senses so that one is totally involved in the occasion and not distracted by mundane thoughts.

A chaji consists of a multi-course meal, followed by two separate tea servings—one ‘thick’ and one ‘thin’. A chaji will last from 3 to 5 hours and only 5 guests at most will be present.

Guests are first served a small cup of hot water, an indicator of the water to be used in the tea making. There is no conversation at this point, merely silent greetings, in order to bring more attention to the surrounding environment of water, flowers, and quiet. Time is spent admiring the utensils, the cups, and whatever art is surrounding everyone. They watch while the host ceremoniously lights the charcoal fire. A meal is then served, followed by the actual tea brewing ceremony. The tea used is traditionally powdered Matcha, but can also be Gyokuro or Sencha. In any case, the tea is meant to be thick and strong. A sweet is generally served with this course.

After an hour or so, when the fire has burned low, the host or hostess performs a second fire-lighting ceremony and waits, while conversation continues, for the kettle to boil. Individual bowls of thin watery tea are then prepared and served to each guest in turn, again accompanied by little dainty sweets. Once this is over, final greetings are exchanged and everyone leaves.

Millions of people throughout Japan study the tea ceremony, even though the training is long and demands full commitment and endless practice. This is not ‘book learning’. “Chaji” is meant to be learned with the body, through observation and movement, not the analytic brain. Awareness, not intellectual understanding, is the goal.

Each week there are slight variations in the routine, dictated by the utensils and the season, to guard against students becoming complacent in their practice. One can learn enough of the basic movements and rituals to create a tea after three years or so of dedicated study, but the student is reminded that a tea ceremony is not a course of study that has to be finished, but life itself. It is the process of learning that counts; the tiny accumulation of knowledge and gradual fine-tuning of the sensibilities; the small but satisfying improvements in the ability to cope gracefully with the little dramas of the everyday world. The power of the tea ritual lies in the unfurling of self-realization.

Sources: “The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Tea for All Nations” by Brother Joseph Keenan, PhD., FSC
“Zen and Leaves: Japanese Tea Ceremony” by Jane Pettigrew

Customer Corner

		Name: Robyn Darwin City: Oakland Occupation: Photographer Favorite Tea: Persian Tea Newly Discovered Tea: Rooibos
Photographs freeze singular moments, capturing what has become the past. They induce all manner of associations and responses, both old and new. Oakland-based fine art photographer Robyn Darwin believes that tea does a similar thing. Specifically, it reminds her of childhood comforts. When Robyn was a little girl, her illnesses and upsets were soothed by her grandmother’s warm presence and cups of chamomile tea with honey. “Tucked in” and being tended to became Robyn’s chief association with tea drinking, one that’s only gotten stronger over time. Robyn forays into tea—beyond herbal, that is—began in earnest when she was in college. The rigors of studies, exams and pulling ‘all nighters’ were eased by pots of tea of every type and style. Let others get wired on coffee, she thought. When she needed to feed her tired brain and ease her stress-load, she sought the comfort and mellower frame of mind that only tea could provide. In short, she needed the “grandma” experience. At this point in her life, Robyn’s experiences have broadened beyond “grandma”, but tea still brings a sense of comfort and restoration. Robyn calls tea-drinking, and the selection of which tea to drink, a “delightful mind/body experience”. Tea is “escape and transformation” in one. She says she lets her ‘state’—emotional, physical, mental—drive her choice. Not tied to any one kind of tea, Robyn will ask herself “what does my soul need right now? What kind of mood am I in?” Sitting down with her chosen pot, Robyn finds that the tea’s aromas and flavors transport her back to the past and simultaneously shift her view in the present. Dare we call that a “Kodak moment”? This photographer says “yes!”