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.

Saturday, Oct 25, Cultural Museum

Konnichiwa students,

When I left you on Friday, it was because I was going to have some cultural experiences in Minamisoma.

The day began with our group learning out more about the Minamisoma Festival, I mentioned earlier, by watching a video at the Minamisoma Cultural Museum.

We then were introduced to some artistic cultural handicrafts. During the first activity we made magatama beads from a soft stone. Comma-shaped magatama beads were found in ancient burial mounds excavated in Minamisoma. However, people did not start wearing these beads until the Buddhist religion was established in Japan in the 7Th century. The wearing of these beads symbolized power; they also were used as a protective charm. In ancient cultures, the medicine man, or shaman wore a stone that conveyed power to their community. These comma-shaped ancient beads have not been found anywhere but Japan, so perhaps early Japanese shamans wore them.

The second artistic endeavor we completed was painting wooden postcards using water-colors in a delicate fashion. These postcards can only be sent through domestic mail in Japan, otherwise, I would have sent one to the school!

Thirdly, we were participants in the Tea ceremony, which deserves another entry to itself because I think it is a very important ceremony.

And, lastly, we met our host family for the evening and next day, and went with them to their homes. It was a FULL day.

Back to Tokyo and the Samurai

Konbanwa students,

Hai, once again we have much to relate since my last entry. Where shall I start? My group and I have left Minamisoma, but since Minamisoma has much to do with Japanese samurai history, let's return to that topic.

I also have a contest with this entry.
Abby K. won the Breakfast food identification, congratulations to her!

Samurai means "to serve", and that they did. They were people of noble rank who swore allegiance to a Daiymo, or lord. It was their duty to protect him and his land. In turn, they received land of their own as payment. In order to protect their lord, they chose to become master warriors, perfecting their skill in archery, swordsmanship, and horseback riding. They were the Japanese counterpart of the Medieval knight protecting and serving the feudal lord of the castle. Samurai were regarded as top in the hierarchy of Japan. When Japan entered a period of peace lasting 250 years, the samurai no longer maintained their warrior skills, but became bureaucrats (people who serve in the government), artists, or teachers. In 1868 Japan's feudal era ended and the samurai class was abolished.

Here is an examples of samurai dress and armor displayed at the Tokyo National Museum. You will need to study it to be able to compete in the contest.

To win the contest, you must name a movie character that wears a costume derived from samurai gear. Hint: the movie has nothing to do with Japanese or samurai culture other than influencing the costume designer.