Big in Japan
21st September 2009
The ritualistic Japanese tea ceremony is recognized worldwide but while it looks intricate and involved to an outsider, years of practice and training go into becoming a tea master - meaning it's even more complex than at first glance! Alex Fullerton reveals more...
As in the UK, nearly everyone in Japan drinks tea but the symbolic tea ceremony is something that takes years of practice and study to master. The actual ceremony is an intricate series of movements - all with meaning - which allow the guests to concentrate and reflect, as in a religious ritual. The goal of a well-executed tea ceremony is harmony and every move in the ritual has been designed to concentrate the guests' serentity through symbolism, the principles of Zen Buddhism - and great tea.
History
Tea has been drunk in Japan since the 9th century and was first introduced by a Buddhist monk, Eichu, who had spent time in China where tea was imbibed nationwide - and had been for centuries previously. Japanese tea plantations were first cultivated in 816 following the reining Emperor Saga being served tea by Eichu the year previous. Documents from this period show that even in the 9th century people were aware of tea's medicinal properties! For his tea, Eichu followed the Chinese principle where tea cakes - similar to the way Puerh is processed today - would be ground and added to hot water. But by the 12th century the Tencha tea ceremony, using ground and whisked Matcha tea became commonplace and started to slowly develop into a recognizable ritual.
The Japanese tea ceremony as we know it today was first popularized by its use in Buddhist monasteries during the 1500s. The serving of tea in refined circumstances was quickly taken on by warrior class Samurais but although taking tea started out as a high class habit, come the 16th century tea was being drunk all over Japan. The Way of the Tea - the reverential name of the ritual - takes great influence from the principles of Zen Buddhism. Every movement has to be performed correctly and is monitored by the guests present.
A very important part of the ceremony is Wabi, which roughly translates as restraint, simplicity and time taken to celebrate beauty and space. It perfectly sums up the calm and considered presentation of the tea ritual. Principles laid out by tea master Takeno Joo in the 16th century include harmony, respect, rusticity, purity, tranquilty and self-cultivation - and these elements continue to central aspects of the tea ceremony today!
Following the tradition that the tea ceremony is a refined ritual enjoyed by people of high status, today it is mainly taken by members of tea clubs and houses. The ceremonies are exclusive with invitations limited to tea masters, experts and students. Asako Steward of Infuse Tea runs classes to teach Japanese people the art of English afternoon tea and says of her native country's tea ritual, "There's nothing like it anywhere in the world!"
The ritual
Every movement and motion in the ceremony is carefully considered. If you're hosting, the guests will be watching your every move either as experts to ensure you're doing things properly, or as students eager to learn. Despite it's calm appearance a tea ceremony seems to be hard work for the host! Each step, from lighting the fire to heat the water, cleaning the utensils or folding the Fukusa napkins (which are used to clean the teaware) has to follow a strict method and every aspect must be done correctly.
There are two types of ceremony - the Chanoyu ceremony is the most rigid and formal while a Sencha ritual is slightly more relaxed. Ceremonies can last for up to four hours, depending on the ritual performed. There are several different types of ritual with subtle nuances to be performed at different times of the year. These depend on the season, occasion and company.
Traditionally, on arriving at the tea house, guests are meant to wait outside in a rock-filled garden until you're calm, relaxed and ready to enter the room. There is a huge connection between the tea ceremony and Zen Buddhism meaning that tea is served with religious reverence and artistic consideration, making it a peaceful time of reflection as well as a thirst-quenching exercise!
Once inside, guests wait on a bench until summoned into the tea room by their host. Hands are washed and mouths rinsed out with water as an act of symbolic purification. Guests' shoes are taken off too before they enter the room and are seated on the dried rush Tatami mats in order of status. As with every action during the ritual, even stepping into the tea room must be done in a specific manner: Asako reveals that you must step in with your right foot at a right angle. Although any space can be used to host a tea ceremony, a small room where the floor is covered with Tatami mats is traditional. Even the placing of the mats is integral to the ceremony, with the joins of each mat dictating how people enter the room and where they sit. Beware of stepping on the central mat though: It functions as a type of table and is considered very bad form! The shuffling fashion in which Japanese people move when taking part in the tea ceremony originated as a way to cause minimum disturbance to the mats - the shuffle forces people to slow down and walk quietly.
A particular style of flower arranging is involved with tea ceremonies. Based on naturalistic arrangements of in-season plants, the host will try to keep nature upmost in the mind of their guests by choosing lifelike groupings of grasses and flowers. Calligraphic scrolls are hung around the room decorated with simple slogans to reinforce the natural feel.
When Brits go for afternoon tea, we like to dress in suitably elegant outfits and in Japan it's the same. Kimonos are usually worn during the tea ceremony and the ritual's arm movements and motions have developed with the wide sleeves of this traditional outfit in mind. The folds of fabric and even the Obi belt are used to keep certain utensils during the ceremony. Practical and chic! The designs on the kimono are also specific to the tea ceremony. Although kimonos can be very bright and detailled those worn for taking tea are mainly plain and simple so as not to distract from the seriousness of the ceremony.
The Tea
The order in which the tea is drunk is paramount too. The first guest will drink tea, toast the host and second guest then return the bowl to the host before the second guest can take their cup. Served in two different ways, the tea you'd drink at a Japanese ceremony depends on the season - the colder season is described as Ro while the warmer months are Furo. While English tea is made from loose tea leaves or tea leaves in a bag, the tea drunk during a Japanese ritual is a powdered green tea called Matcha.
Instead of individual cups for each guest, the tea bowl is communal although sometimes individual bowls are used. First, guests share a large bowl of of 'thick' tea which is made from Matcha that has been kneaded with a small amount of water to form a gooey paste. Next, 'thin' tea - made from whisked Matcha with lots of hot water - is served.
Just as with a formal English afternoon tea service, lots of equipment (known as Chadogu) is required for the ceremony and some of the more intricate pieces can only handled with gloves!
Chakin - a small white linen cloth, used to wipe the tea bowl
Tea bowl - these are the drinking cups
Tea caddy - a safe place to store your tea
Tea scoop or Chashaku spoon - usually carved from bamboo and used to scoop the tea from caddy to bowl
Tea whisk - to mix the Matcha with hot water. Again, it's usually made from bamboo and tradition dictates a new one is used for each ceremony
Learning About Tea
Studying the intricacies of the tea ceremony takes time and Japanese people often join circles or tea clubs to discover more. At the start, new students simply observe the more advanced pupils and don't take part in the ceremony or drink the tea. They'll learn the basics, such as walking on the Tatami mats, correct bowing etiquette and how to clean the equipment. Once these techniques have been learned students can move onto finding out how to actually prepare the tea and start practicing - and drinking the Matcha. One thing to remember is that students don't take notes during their lessons and there are no tea ceremony textbooks! Learning is only gained by practice and observation of the age-old methods of tea presentation.
Drinking Matcha everyday
While the full tea ceremony can take up to four hours to execute you can still get a taste of Japan by whisking up Matcha tea at home. Asako revealed that she drinks Matcha during the day, much as Westerners would make themselves a cuppa without preparing the full spread of sandwiches, scones, cakes and afternoon tea! While popping a tea bag in a mug and adding boiling water is the simplest step to get to tea heaven, preparing Matcha is slightly more involved - but still has delicious results.
According to Jing Tea's blog there are a few simple steps...
- Put approximately 2g or 2 chashaku spoonfuls of Matcha into the tea bowl. Two thirds of a Western teaspoon will equate to 2 chashaku spoons.
- Add a tiny drop of cold water to get rid of any lumps and gently whisk the powder with water until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Next, add approximately 150ml of hot water. As with all green teas, water that is below boiling point (80 degrees C is best) should be used so as not to scald the tea.
- Now, start whisking! Up to 1 minute will be enough and, as you whisk, try to envisage writing the letter 'm' with the whisk.
- Once the Matcha is frothy and full of tiny bubbles it's ready to drink. Enjoy!
Image credits:
Matcha powder: japan-green-tea.com
Tea ceremony: flickr.com
Matcha tea and whisk: greenteagourmet.com
Tea house exterior: bbgardens.org
Tea master Yayoi Maloney: archives.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
Tea house interior: seewald.com