Chado...The way of tea

Ohayo gozaimasu students,

Today, we are going to learn a little about tea. Coming from the south we know about our kind of tea, sweet and iced, but macha is a green tea used only in the tea ceremony, and is very bitter tasting to many Westerners; I did not find it to be so.

A whole culture has evolved around the serving of this type of tea, and it is know as the tea ceremony. It is considered an art in Japan and sometimes it takes many years for the person who serves the tea to become a tea master.

As with many things, the Japanese took the green tea brought here, by a priest named Eisai, and used it in a way to suit their needs. At first it was used as a medicine, but in the 15TH century a Zen Master, a monk, refined the way tea was served into what came to be known as Chado--the way of tea. Cha means tea, and Do means way. Do, the way, is based on a Chinese philosophy (way of thinking about life), that believes that a person should live in the moment, not worrying about the past or future, but the present moment only.

The tea ceremony has prescibed movements which allow both the server-host, and participant to focus only on what is occurring during the ceremony. Because of its prescribed movements, and way participants should act, the samurai often used the tea ceremony as a way to step out of their way of war and find a moment of peace.

The tea ceremony can be served in a tea house, designed and only used for the tea ceremony, or it can be presented in a special room. Some elements are always common. There is always a beautiful garden to contemplate (think about); there are always tatami mats (notice them on the floor), there is a special alcove called a tokonoma, special a scroll with an appropriate verse and thought expressed, and a seasonal arrangement.

Tea ceremony is meant to be a spiritual experience cultivating certain ideas: "wa" peace and harmony, "kei" respect for the other person, "sei" purity and simplicity, and "jaku", calmness even in the face of difficult circumstances in one's life. Deep respect and sincere gratitude are two fundamental concepts that define the tea ceremony.

Our Minamisoma group was honored by some Japanese ladies who teach the "way of tea" to others who are interested in learning this ceremony. They were very happy and generous in wanting to do this for us. I felt very appreciative that we had this opportunity.

Here are some pictures of: the garden, the tokonoma, the ladies, and me trying to learn the correct manner to froth the tea.