The Way of Tea

The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu or sadou, chadou. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called otemae. Much less commonly, Japanese tea ceremony uses leaf tea, primarily sencha, in which case it is known in Japanese as senchadō as opposed to chanoyu or chadou. 

The Japanese tea ceremony, or sadou came about when Japan adopted both Chinese practices of drinking powdered green tea and Zen Buddhist beliefs.  In the 1500s, Sen No Rikkyu incorporated the ideas of simplicity and that each meeting should be special and unique into the tea ceremonies.  The traditional Japanese tea ceremony became more than just drinking tea; it is a spiritual experience that embodies harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.

The host of the tea ceremony may prepare extensively for the event, practicing hand movements and all steps so that the ceremony is perfect, yet simple in every detail. The ceremony can be performed in the home, a special tea room, in a tea house, even outdoors. 

Before a Japanese tea ceremony begins, guests may stay in a waiting room until the host is ready for them.  The guests will walk across roji, Japanese for dewy ground, symbolically ridding themselves of the dust of the world in preparation for the ceremony.  Then, the guests will wash their hands and mouths from water in a stone basin as a last purifying step. 

The host presents the prepared tea bowl to one of the guests and they exchange bows.  This first guest admires the bowl then rotates it before taking a drink.  The guest wipes the rim of the tea bowl then offers it to the next guess who repeats these movements. 

It can take years of practice to master the art of Japanese tea ceremonies.  In Japan, many choose to take classes or join clubs at dedicated tea schools, colleges, or universities.  Students learn the common hosting duties such as how to properly enter and exit the tea room, when to bow, making the tea correctly, proper placement and cleaning of the utensils and equipment, as well as appropriate guest behavior like handling and drinking from the tea bowl.