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Two main
schools, the Omotesenke and Urasenke, have evolved, each with its own
prescribed rituals. There are also other, lesser-known schools.
Currently, the Urasenke School is the most active and has the largest
following. Within each school there are sub-schools, and in each
school there are seasonal and temporal variations in the method of
preparing and enjoying the tea, and in the types and forms of utensils
and tea used.
 All the schools, and most of the variations, however, have facets in
common. The host, male or female, will usually be wearing a kimono,
while guests may wear kimono or subdued formal wear. If the tea is to
be served in a separate tea house rather than a tea room, the guests
will wait in a garden shelter until summoned by the host. They
ritually purify themselves by washing their hands and rinsing their
mouths from a small stone basin of water, and proceed through a simple
garden along a roji, "dewy path," to the tea house. Guests remove
their shoes and enter the tea house through a small door, and proceed
to the "tokonoma," or alcove, where they admire the scroll and/or
other decorations placed therein and are then seated seiza style on
the tatami in order of prestige.
Both tea houses and tea rooms are usually small, a typical floor size
being 4 1/2 tatami, or woven mats of straw, the traditional Japanese
floor covering. The smallest tea room can be a mere two mats, and the
size of the largest is determined only by the limits of its owner's
resources. Building materials and decorations are deliberately simple
and rustic.
Guests may be served a light, simple meal called a "kaiseki" (懐石) or "chakaiseki"
(茶懐石), followed by sake, Japanese rice wine. They will then return to
the waiting shelter until summoned again by the host.
If no meal is served, the host will proceed directly to the serving of
a small sweet or sweets. Sweets are eaten from special paper called
kaishi (懐紙); each guest carries his or her own, often in a decorative
wallet which is tucked into the front of the kimono.
Each utensil--including the tea bowl (chawan), whisk (chasen), and tea
scoop (chashaku)-- is then ritually cleaned in the presence of the
guests in a precise order and using prescribed motions. The utensils
are placed in a precise arrangement according to the ritual being
performed. When the ritual cleaning and preparation of the utensils is
complete, the host will place a measured amount of green tea powder in
the bowl and add the appropriate amount of hot water, then whisk the
tea using using precise, prescribed movements.
Conversation is kept to a minimum throughout. Guests relax and enjoy
the atmosphere created by the sounds of the water and fire, the smell
of the incense and tea, and the beauty and simplicity of the tea house
and its seasonally appropriate decorations.
The bowl is then served to the guest of honour ("shokyaku" 初客,
literally the "first guest"), either by the host or an assistant. Bows
are exchanged between the host and guest of honour. The guest then
bows to the second guest, and raises the bowl in a gesture of respect
to the host. The guest rotates the bowl to avoid drinking from its
front, takes a sip, murmurs the prescribed phrase, and then takes two
or three more sips before wiping the rim, rotating the bowl to its
original position, and passing it to the next guest with a bow. The
procedure is repeated until all guests have taken tea from the same
bowl, and the bowl is returned to the host. In some ceremonies, each
guest will drink from an individual bowl, but the order of serving and
drinking is the same.
If thick tea, koicha, has been served, the host will sometimes prepare
thin tea, or usuicha, which is served in the same manner. In some
rituals, however, only koicha or usuicha is served.
After all the guests have taken tea, the host cleans the utensils. The
guest of honour will request that the host allow the guests to examine
the utensils, and each guest in turn examines and admires each item,
including the water scoop, the tea caddy, the tea scoop, the tea
whisk, and, most importantly, the tea bowl. The items are treated with
extreme care and reverence as they are frequently priceless,
irreplaceable handmade antiques, and guests often use a special
brocaded cloth to handle them.
The host then collects the utensils, and the guests leave the tea
house. The host bows from the door, and the ceremony is over.
A tea ceremony can last between one hour and four to five hours,
depending on the type of ceremony performed, and the types of meal and
tea served.
Types of
ceremony
Obon temae
In Obon Temae (お盆手前) the host places a tea bowl, whisk, tea scoop,
chakin and natsume on a special tray; these items are covered by the
fukusa. Thin tea is prepared on the tray while kneeling seiza style on
the floor.
Ryu-rei
In Ryū-rei (立礼, literally standing bow) the tea is prepared at a
special table. The guests are seated either at the same table (one
guest) or at a separate table. The name refers to the practice of
performing the first and last bows standing at the entrance to the tea
room. In Ryū-rei there is usually an assistant who sits behind the
host and moves the hosts stool out of the way as needed for standing
or sitting. The assistant also serves the tea and sweets to the
guests.
Tea Ceremony - Introduction
Tea Ceremony - History
Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License) |
