Today, I had the incredible experience of having my first class in Japanese Tea Ceremony. Since today was only a trial class, we didn’t go through any sort of training. We were instead simply shown a Japanese tea ceremony room, introduced to the tools used in the ceremony, and then given a demonstration. Check out my vlog (video blog) right after the experience: (Shout out to Kimberlee Coombes for doing this research with me!)
I entered the tea room through a shoji, which is a room divider made out of washi paper pasted over a bamboo wooden frame (pictured below). The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was the smell. In a traditional tea room, the host burns okou, which are incents burned to purify the room. For this reason, it is considerate to not wear perfume of any sort when coming into the room. Of course, I just happened to have overdone my perfume today… whoops. I would describe the scent as almost spiciliy sweet. it was a mildly strong presence in the room
Then, I noticed the tatami (rush-straw floor) that I have pictured below, with a small kama (stove) in the corner. Nothing more. Like I said in the vlog, extremely simple. The room was flooded with natural light from the window; whether or not this was intentional, I don’t know, but it drew my focus to how the room had a “natural” aura.
My teacher explained to me that there is often a banner such as the one depicted below, with Zen phrases written on it in calligraphy. While there was not one in the room at the time, there is also usually ohana (flower arrangement), which must be fresh-picked, simple, and indicates the season.
We then went through the different kinds of tools used in the tea ceremony. There were ceramic bowls to serve the tea in, and bowls for water used to clean the used bowls. The bowls were beautiful, as you can see in the photos below. There were no bright, eye-dazzling colors used, but there was a luminescence to them (a word I often use when describing Japanese ceramics).
Some of the bowls used are season-specific. The pink bowl is a “summer bowl,” and is shallower in structure. This is to allow the tea to cool down more easily, so it would be easier to drink in the heat. The white bowl in the back is a “winter bowl,” with a deeper structure to keep the tea warm for those chilly winter days.
There were also wooden tools made out of bamboo, which were unpainted, and again, simple. But these also had a sense of beauty to them; they were small, thin, and delicate, and looked flawlessly smooth. In my case, they also looked terrifyingly easy to break… let’s hope I don’t cause any accidents.
We were then taught 3 kinds of bows for both the standing, and the sitting position. The three (for both standing and sitting) are: shin, gyo, and so (formal, semi-formal, and casual). Formal seems to simply mean bowing more deeply, and in the case of sitting down, your hands are pressed firmly to the ground. Casual is a shallower bow, with only fingertips pressed to the ground. I mentioned in the vlog how specific Japanese Tea Ceremony was. This is an example.
My teacher then performed the tea ceremony for us. It was fascinating to watch; every movement was calculated, and routine. There was a specificity in not only the making of the tea, but sitting, standing, and the words she used to offer us the tea. The tea itself was delicious. To be honest, I expected the tea to be quite bitter. In actuality, it was surprisingly mild. I would even describe it as creamy, from the layer of froth on the surface of the liquid due to the quick mixing of the tea.
Hopefully you enjoy this description of my first Japanese Tea Ceremony class! I can’t wait to master the basics of this process, and bring you all along for the experience. Until next time.
Best,
justajae
My teacher then performed the tea ceremony for us. It was fascinating to watch; every movement was calculated, and routine. There was a specificity in not only the making of the tea, but sitting, standing, and the words she used to offer us the tea. The tea itself was delicious. To be honest, I expected the tea to be quite bitter. In actuality, it was surprisingly mild. I would even describe it as creamy, from the layer of froth on the surface of the liquid due to the quick mixing of the tea.
Hopefully you enjoy this description of my first Japanese Tea Ceremony class! I can’t wait to master the basics of this process, and bring you all along for the experience. Until next time.
Best,
justajae