Introduction

The Japanese tea ceremony or chanoyu, also known as the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural ritual involving the cemeronial preparation and presentation of matcha or powdered green tea. Loose leaf green tea or sencha is also used, but far less commonly. Zen Buddhism was a formative influence in the development of the tea ceremony.

History of the Tea Ceremony

The art of the tea ceremony flourished during the Momoyama period (ca. 1568 - 1603). Both Oda Nobunaga—the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16^th century—and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi lavished time and money on this pastime, collecting tea bowls and other implements, sponsoring lavish social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters of the tea ceremony.

By the 16^th century, tea drinking had spread to all levels of society in Japan. Sen Rikyū (1522 - 1591) is perhaps the most well-known and still revered figure in the history of the tea ceremony. He was driven by the concept of ichi-go ichi-e, a philosophy that each meeting should be treasured, for it can never be reproduced. His teachings perfected many newly developed forms in architecture, gardens, art, and the full development of the "way of tea". He also reestablished and emphasized several key aspects of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach, and honesty of self. The principles he set forward—harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility—are still central to the tea ceremony today.

The tea ceremony flourished during the Momoyama period

An open tea house serving matcha (right) and a peddler selling decoctants (left). The monk clothing depicts the relationship between matcha culture, tea ceremony, and Buddhism.

Cultural Relevance of the Tea Ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony developed as a transformative practice and began to evolve its own aesthetic over the years. Murata Jukō is known as an early developer of the ceremony as a spiritual practice; he studied Zen Buddhism under the monk Ikkyū, who revitalized Zen in the 15^th century, and this is considered to have influenced his use of the Zen concept of wabi-sabi in the aesthetic of the tea ceremony. 

"Wabi" represents the inner spiritual experiences of human life. Its original meaning indicates quiet or sober refinement, or subdued taste characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry. "Sabi," on the other hand, represents the outer material side of life. Originally, it meant "worn," "weathered," or "decayed." Together, wabi-sabi emphasizes simplicity, humility, consciousness of impermanence, and intense appreciation of the immediate experience, and this was reflected in the aesthetics of the tea ceremony.

Tea Ceremony Objects

Tea equipment is called chadōgu, and a wide range of chadōgu are available and different styles and motifs are used for different events and in different seasons. All of the tools for tea ceremony are handled with exquisite care. They are scrupulously cleaned before and after each use and before storing, and some are handled only with gloved hands. Some items, such as the tea storage jar "chigusa," were so revered that they were given proper names like people.

The pottery used for the tea ceremony is often simple and natural, in accordance with wabi-sabi, and came to transform the manner in which the Japanese viewed ceramic ware. Tea master Sen Rikyū was involved in the innovation of Raku teabowls with the collaboration of a tile maker named Raku Chōjirō, prompted by his preference for simple, rustic items made in Japan rather than the expensive Chinese ware that was in fashion at the time. These hand-moulded and glazed vessels have become intimately connected with the tea ceremony and are still in use to the present day.

The following are a few of the essential components:

• The chakin, a small rectangular white linen or hemp cloth mainly used to wipe the tea bowl.
• The tea bowl, available in a wide range of sizes and styles, with different styles used for thick and thin tea. Shallow bowls, which allow the tea to cool rapidly, are used in summer, while deep bowls are used in winter. Bowls over four hundred years old are in use today. The best bowls are thrown by hand, and irregularities and imperfections are prized and often featured prominently as the "front" of the bowl.
• The tea caddy, a small lidded container in which the powdered tea is placed for use in the tea-making procedure.
• The tea scoop, generally carved from a single piece of bamboo, ivory, or wood and used to scoop tea from the tea caddy into the tea bowl. Different styles and colors are used in various tea traditions.
• The tea whisk, used to mix the powdered tea with the hot water and typically carved from a single piece of bamboo.