I was finally able to experience my first official lesson in Japanese Tea Ceremony today! Today was especially interesting, because other than me, two special guests were present. One has been studying it for over 35 years, and the other her daughter-in-law, who like me, has just started to learn the process. Check out my vlog (video blog) of the experience below:
The lesson began with food (what better way to begin a lesson?). Delicious, traditional Japanese food. The meal was brought to us on trays, and aesthetically arranged (as you can see in the picture below). The lunch consisted of rice topped with meat, tamagoyaki (a sweet omlet that is cut into certain shapes), a scallop, and some cooked/seasoned vegetables. According to the woman with high training in tea ceremony, in traditional Japanese cuisine, rice is often cut out into pretty shapes like this. And of course, visuals are always key.
We were then given okashi(sweets), as is traditional before tea. Today we had some dango (sweet dumplings), with anko (sweet bean paste) and chestnut. With a cute little spoon. After such a feast, the guests (myself included) were thoroughly satisfied.
Then, the preparation of the tea began. I can't help but emphasize again how fascinating the specificity of the process is. It is so even behind the scenes. Depicted here is the macha powder(after being ground up) being poured spoonful by spoonful into a container. It seems there is a specific way of doing even this, but generally getting the stuff into the container is what counts.
And then, we began our role as guests. The three guests sat in a row at the edge of the tatami floor, with our sensu (fans) behind us. And my teacher(our host) entered, and the ceremony began. (I noticed today that there is even a gesture indicating that she has "opened the door" if there is no door available in that specific tearoom.)
Today we had the honor of receiving koicha (dark tea), meaning a thicker matcha tea, which is a rare occasion. Only good-quality matcha powder can be used for koicha, because koicha basically is a lot of powder with a bit of water for moisture. This makes the flavor of the matcha extremely strong. So if the powder is not good... well the tea would be terrible.
After the ceremony was finished, the other two guests took their leave, and I began my first hands-on lesson. My teacher began by laying out the essentials for the most basic tea ceremony out in front of me.
Today we had the honor of receiving koicha (dark tea), meaning a thicker matcha tea, which is a rare occasion. Only good-quality matcha powder can be used for koicha, because koicha basically is a lot of powder with a bit of water for moisture. This makes the flavor of the matcha extremely strong. So if the powder is not good... well the tea would be terrible.
After the ceremony was finished, the other two guests took their leave, and I began my first hands-on lesson. My teacher began by laying out the essentials for the most basic tea ceremony out in front of me.
As I mentioned in the vlog, the cloths used to "clean" the bowls play a huge role in the process. Below are the three types of cloths my teacher introduced to me today. To the far left(bright read) is the fukusa, which is the cloth that the host wears in her obi (essentially it is the belt on a kimono). At the beginning of the ceremony, this cloth is located in the folds of the kimono near the breast. There is a specific way of unfolding, folding, taking it out, tucking it into the obi, and then using it in the ceremony. Hopefully I will be able to successfully demonstrate this process to you in due time. The cloth with gold patterns in the middle is the kobukusa, and to its right is the kaishi. The kaishi seemed to be many many sheets of thin, soft paper folded in half.
Tucked in the fold of the kaishi was a youji. Pictured below, it is a metal toothpick used to break apart the okashi(sweets) one eats before tea.
After teaching me the basics of folding the fukasa, the teacher allowed me to make my first bowl of tea-- meaning I went through the process of cleaning the bowls, mixing the tea powder with hot water, and then drinking from and cleaning the bowl. It was actually quite good! (Either because the tea powder was very good quality, or I am just a superstar, and I'd like to think it is the latter).
And that's all for today! I can't wait for the next lesson! I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post. :)
Until next time.
Best,
justajae
Until next time.
Best,
justajae