women become the mainstream

the chanoyu IEMOTO, having found their way through the crises of the early MEIJI period, thought about the future and gradually realized that it was important to popularize chanoyu among the young generation, who would be shouldering the next age. They therefore poured energy into teaching chanoyu as schools. This resulted in chanoyu lessons being incorporated into school curriculum's, especially at girls' schools. There also were public schools that adopted chanoyu as a class in moral education. Because many of the schools that incorporated chanoyu into the curriculum were girls' schools, however, the percentage of women trained in chanoyu suddenly increased. Whereas the great majority of the chanoyu population had consisted of men until then, this resulted in an overturn of the ratio between men and women.

there even was a period when chanoyu training was considered a must for women's domestic training, to prepare them properly for marriage. Not only did the ratio of women chanoyu students greatly increase, but the chanoyu population altogether continued to expand. The middle of the 20th century may be said to have been when chanoyu, within its history of five hundred years, had the most students ever.

Another big characteristic of the chanoyu of the middle of 20th century may be said to its introduction and spread overseas. As previously explained, chanoyu is a typical form of Japanese culture. However, this does not mean that it therefore is not possible for non-Japanese to understand it or set foot into it. We can see how true this is by that fact that many non-Japanese come to Japan and learn chanoyu, and have been teaching it after returning to their home countries. Because other countries have their own culture and many also already have their tea culture, there is some resistance to accepting chanoyu exactly as it is practiced in Japan. It seems, therefore, that there is a strong tendency for people abroad to interpret chanoyu in their own way and practice it in a different form that fits in with their national customs and lifestyles.

the IEMOTO system and prevelance of women

** the establishment of the IEMOTO system



the centennial in 1691 of the death of SEN NORIKYU occasioned a renewed estimation of RIKYU, and consequently his direct heirs, meaning the the heads of the three SEN houses known as the OMOTESENKE8hereditary name of the head of this house, SEN SOSA), URASENKE(SEN SOSHITSU), and MUSHAKOJISENKE(SEN SOSHU), came into the limelight during this age. In due course, the IEMOTO system was adopted in the world of Chanoyu. This system is unique to Japan, and nowadays it tends to be viewed as peculiar to chanoyu, which is because chanoyuu is believed to embrace the most people under this system. Actually, however, the IEMOTO system exists widely among the fields of artistic accomplishments and martial arts that developed in Japan. Although there are differences depending on how finely it has been organized,basically in this system the person who succeeds to the position of IEMOTO(head master of the house/school) is at the top, those who are pursuing mastery in that school of artistic accomplishment,etc. are gathered together, and a hierarchy is constructed. The art or technique is broken down into KATA, or model forms, and what supports the hierarchy is the system by which these KATA are imparted and received. More specifically, there are successive levels of study, and working up from the lowest level, which is the NYUMON or beginner's level,the learner who becomes proficient at the the particular level of KATA that he or she has been taught so far is issued a certificate(called MENKYO or KYOJO, meaning license or permit) from the IEMOTO.

The system also works under the principles of either 'complete transmission' or 'incomplete transmission'. Complete transmission is where those who desire to receive instruction in all the KATA that have been passed on to the IEMOTO are permitted this, while incomplete transmission is where one portion of the KATA is not passed on to anyone other than the person who is to succeed as the next IEMOTO, the incomplete transmission method effectively means that only the selected IEMOTO-TO-Be can become IEMOTO, whereas the complete transmission system effectively means that anyone who has received all the transmissions might, if he wanted to, call himself an IEMOTO.

This IEMOTO system, particularly its hereditary form, sometimes is criticized. However, one aspect of the system is that,owing to it the KATA of the artistic accomplishments and martial arts of Japan have been passed down through a long period of time without giving way very much and becoming altered.

**Senchado emerges

With the establishment of the IEMOTO system in chanoyu, the spread of chanoyu increased. On the other hand,however, RYOKUCHA -green tea made by the method called IRERU(淹れる infusion)-gradually gained popularity not simply as a beverage but as an occasion for painters, doctors, artists, Contortionists, and other such members of society to get together and enjoy conversing about art, life's ideals, and so forth. In due course, the implements used and method for preparing the most delicious RYOKUCHA were perfected, and, like the process that led to the establishment of chanoyu, a certain method took shape and, finally at the end of the 18th century, the activity called SENCHADO(literally,'the way of steeped tea'), in which the temae and implements were clearly defined, was established.

In their writings, SENCHADO enthusiasts were full of criticism of chanoyu. The main points that they criticized were that one bowl of KOICHA(濃茶 thick tea) was passed around and shared by a number of people; the practice of wiping many tea bowls with the same little linen cloth was unsanitary; chanoyu implements were too expensive, and it was silly that people should passionately collect them. In SENCHADO, therefore,one cup was for use by one person and even if one wiping cloth were used for different cups, the sides of the cloth were changed, and so forth. Also, the implements that were employed were not rare and expensive items but items that could be purchased at reasonable prices.

In that SENCHADO was based on a n admiration for China, the implements that were favored were largely of Chinese make,but articles also came to be produced in Japan that were intended for use in this kind of tea practice. Notably, such famous ceramists of the late EDO period as OKUDA EISEN(奥田 頴川),AOKI MOKUBEI(青木 木米),EIRAKU HOZEN(永楽 保全), and NIN'AMI DOHACHI(仁阿 道八) avidly produced wares for SENCHA, and people involved in SENCHYADO(煎茶道) rate their works highly.

** Modern Sukisha(数寄者),chanoyu Aesthetes, are Active

with the MEIJI Restoration in 1868, there came the end of the EDO period, which had lasted for nearly three hundred years, and cataclysmic changes occurred in society. Chanoyu,too,was not immue to the effects of this. As it was not the time to be relaxing and enjoying chanoyu, the number of students of chanoyu sharply decreased. Consequently, the chanoyu IEMONO, who had hitherto enjoyed security, were forced to confront difficulties. By continuing to make assiduous efforts, such as arranging to teach chanoyu at schools and designing the RYUREI(立礼) TEMAE style which is done sitting on a chair at a table, as it could be foreseen that people's lifestyles would become chair-oriented rather than TATAMI-ORIENTed, they managed to find their way out of the critical situation.

Before long, the leaders of the newly-risen financial combines that enjoyed sudden growth at the time of the reforms attendant with the MEIJI Restoration started to take interest in chanoyu. With their strong finance, they bought up art objects, including chadogu, that were being auctioned off by the old DAIMYO families and aristocratic families who, suffering hardships, put these collector items that had come down in their families out for sale. The new leaders in the financial world had chasitsu at their residences and villas, where they frequently held chakai, or 'tea get-togethers',calling together men of taste like themselves. These were occasions to introduce their newly acquired chadogu and enjoy chanoyu.

The people who were involved in chanoyu in this way are described as 'modern-age sukisha(aesthetes)'. The leading figure among them, MASUDA DON'O(益田 鈍翁), initiated the DAISHIKAI(大師会)society, which he named after KOBO DAISHI(弘法大師, the monk,scholar,poet,and artist KUKAI,774-835,founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism), at his mansion. In the KANSAI region, as well, a society called the KOETSUKAI(光悦会), taking its name from the EDO-period artist HON'AMI KOETSU(本阿弥 光悦), was initiated through the sponsorship of various sukisha and art dealers. Newspapers had just come to be read by the massed, and , although it would be unheard of nowadays, their pages were crowded with articles about these chanoyu gatherings where amazing arrays of rare artworks and chadogu that ranked as MEIBUTSU(名物,masterpieces) were displayed.

Many of the modern-age sukisha were not interested in receiving KYOJO certificates from the IEMOTO, even if they did learn how to do TEMAE. They enjoyed their own style of chanoyu,and so the IEMOTO,while probably happy that chanoyu itself was enjoying renewed vigor, may have felt somewhat perplexed. Also, because the sukisha were amassing collections mainly by bidding at auctions, the art dealers who were the agents between the sellers and buyers gained prominence. They were indispensable to the collection gathering as well as the big tea gatherings of the modern-age sukisha.

Many of the collections of the modern-age sukisha remain intact today in the form of private museum collections open to the public, although there were some that were dispersed upon the collector's death.

** Women become the mainstream

The chanoyu IEMOTO, having found their way through the crises of the early MEIJI Period, thought about the future and gradually realized that it was important to popularize chanoyu among the young generation, who would be shouldering the next age. They therefore poured energy into teaching chanoyu at schools. This resulted in chanoyu lessons being incorporated into school curriculums, especially at girl's schools. There also were public schools that adopted chanoyu as a clas in moral education. Because many of the schools that incorporated chanoyu into the curriculum were girls' schools, however, the percentage of women trained in chanoyu suddenly increased. Whereas the great majority of the chanoyu population had consisted of men until then, this resulted in an overturn of the ratio between men and women.

There even was a period when chanoyu training was considered a must for women's domestic training, to prepare them properly for marriage. Not only did the ratio of women chanoyu students greatly increase, but the chanoyu population altogether continued to expand. The middle of the 20th century may be said to have been when chanoyu,within its history of five hundred years, had the most students ever.

Another big characteristic of the chanoyu of the middle of 20th century may be said to be its introduction and spread overseas. As previously explained, chanoyu is a typical form of Japanese culture. However, this does not mean that it therefore is not possible for non-Japanese to understand it or set foot into it. We can see how true this is by that fact that many non-Japanese come to Japan and learn chanoyu, and have been teaching it after returning to their home chanoyu, and have been teaching it after returning to their home countries. Because other countries have their own culture and many also already have their tea culture, there is some resistance to accepting chonoyu exactly as it is practiced in Japan. It seems, therefore, that there is a strong tendency of people abroad to interpret chanoyu in their own way and practice it in a different form that fits in with their national customs and lifestyles.

the history of chanoyu 12

**Wabisuki, the pursuit of wabi-flavored chaonyu, progresses

SEN NO RIKYU ended his life by committing SEPPUKU(harakiri; the warrior's way of honorable suicide), as ordered by HIDEYOSHI, and this successor was a warrior by the name of FURUTA ORIBE(古田織部). Oribe did not carry RIKYU's chanoyu forward as was, however, but promoted a style that reflected his own ideas. The main characteristic of his chanoyu was its bold design. This found expression in the implements and tea room, which some people criticized for its 'extremist' style, though today his achievements are highly respected. Oribe, too,suffered the fate of ending his own life by SEPPUKU, as ordered by SHOGUN TOGUGAWA IEYASU(徳川家康) because OREIBE was suspected of having committed treason.

The leading figure after ORIBE was the feudal lord KOBORI ENSHU(小堀遠州), who was a chanoyu disciple of ORIBE. He too, while respecting RIKYU'S WABISUKI ideal, promoted his own style of chanoyu. It is generally described as having been characterized by its consideration of the official social customs of the warrior class, and its incorporation of the court culture of the ancient HEIAN days.

ENSHU was active during the same era as RIKYU's grandson, SEN SOTAN(千宗旦), as well as KANAMORI SOWA(金森宗和),who was of DAIMYO(大名) heritage. It is considered that SOTAN faithfully preserved the chanoyu of RIKYU, and that SOWA, who had close associations with those of the aristocracy, aimed at a style of chanoyu that was comfortable acceptable to that social class. Later, the DAIMYO KATAGIRI SEKISHU(片桐石州) appeared upon the scene as a chaonoyu, and consequently many DAIMYO families subscribed to his chanoyu style.

In the 17th century, there thus were various individuals actiev in promoting their own styles of chanoyu, and chanoyu effectively spread among not only the townspeople but also the warrior and aristocratic classes, so there were many social classes of people enjoying chanoyu. Furthermore, chanoyu schooling may be said to have become considered essential to a person's education. Amid these developments, the wabisuki chanoyu established by RIKYU was not necessarily accepted outright, and it seems that more people supported the style developed by ENSHU and SOWA. Even though ORIBE, ENSHU, SOWA,SEKISYU, and such others based their chanoyu on RIKYU'S WABISUKI, they each aimed at a style of their own, and so we can say both that WABISUKI developed, and in another sense, that its quality changed.

The WABUSUKI that RIKYU promoted was as devoid of playfulness as possible, and was an extremely serious activity in which, through training, the practitioner should reach an ideal state of being within the circumstances of life. It may be that people in general shied away from this ascetic focus, and the chanoyu style of ENSHU and SOWA, which may not have been so severely demanding, thus won popularity. In fact, from the 17th century the recreational aspects of chanoyu increased, and not much focus was placed on the idea that chanoyu was a means of spiritual training.

the history of chanoyu 11

**chasuki becomes imbued with the wabi philosophy

Entering the 16th century, the popularity of chasuiki increased , whereas utasuki gradually faded. The term suki(aesthetic bent) had until then automatically inferred utasuki,which is to say the world of the renga get-together, but by the middle of the 16th century, it came to automatically imply chasuki, the world of the chanoyu get- togther.

The people involved in chasuki were not of the warrior or aristocratic classes, but were of the urban society, particularly merchants based in Kyoto, Nara,Sasaki,Hakata, and other important urban centers, who were gaining power around this period. With the decline of the MUROMACHI military government which had lasted from the 14th century and was centered in Kyoto, imported Chinese objects(KARAMONO 唐物) that had been collected by the shogun, feudal lords, influential temples, and such sectors were being sold. The merchants, with their financial resources, bought these objects up and eagerly used them in chanoyu. Looking at the tea gathering records of the time, we can see that many of the implements that were employed were involved in foreign trade, and from the newly imported goods, they selected articles that they thought were suitable for use as chadogu, and made use of them in their tea chasuki and gradually fell into disuse, and through such experiences, a certain standard arose for selecting suitable chadogu.

In earlier times, the practice was to make the matcha beverage in a separate room and carry it to the room where the guests sat, but probably by around the end of the 15th century at latest, there arose the pracice of making it in front of the guests.Gradually, certain rules were formulated as to the movements and steps for making the matcha before the guest' eyes, and the act called temae thus took shape, although it was not until around the end of the 16th century that the temae became clearly established.

It is not possible to say exactly when the chasitsu, the room specifically fro chasuki, came into being but probably it originated as a room where activities such as utasuki, incense appreciation, flower arrangement exhibits(rikka,(立花) which later developed into kado, the 'way of flowers'), as well as chasuki were held. This room or building was called kaisho(会所), or 'gathering place'. A kaisho was relatively large, and documentary evidence shows that for chasuki a portion of the room was partitioned off using folding screens or other such devices.

As time passed, a room specifically for chasuki came to be constructed. Smaller than the kaisho, it was but about 10 meters square8six tatami9 in floor space. However, the newly built chashitsu of the latter half of the 16th century were reduced in size, and ultimately a room merely 3 meters square( less than two tatami) came into being for the purpose of chasuki. Together with this, various innovative ideas were incorporated for the windows, ceiling,doorway, and other elements, and the chashitsu form of architecture, unique even amid Japanese architecture, became established.

In this way, the chadogu,temae,and chashitsu each became worked into suitable form, and at last chanoyu may be said to have become established. However, it had not yet been perfected. The figure who was active in the developments of this period was TAKENO JO'O(武野紹鴎), a merchant of Sakai(堺).

Records of tea gatherings of the time provide evidence that SEN NO RIKYU(千利休), the figure in the fore after JO'O, was responsible in his later years for the dynamic changes in the chashitsu,chadogu, and temae that occurred in the 1580s. The extremely small chasitsu mentioned above became the mainstream. Rather than the predominance of articles deriving from China(karamono),many native Japanese items(wamono　和物) and articles made in Korea(koraimono　高麗物) as well as ariticles from southeast Asia(nanbanmono 南蛮物) came to be used for chadogu. And as for the temae, there arose the method of bringing the implements into the room from the back preparation room(mizuya) and setting them directly on the tatami, rather than having them on display on the shelves and in the alcove(tokonoma) in the chashitsu from the start.

Through these changes, wabisuiki(侘数寄, chanoyu rooted in the aestheticism of wabi) was established. A disciple of Rikyu named YAMANOUE NO SOJI(山上宗二) wrote in his record called the YAMANOUE SOJI KI(山上宗二記) aesthetic sensibility. Rikyu is attributed as the one who mainly led the way to crystallization of wabisuki. Providing the backdrop for this, no doubt, was that the most powerful man of the times, TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSI(豊臣秀吉), took a liking to RIKYU, and RIKYUU consequently not only held sway over chanoyu matters, but also in the arena of politics.

the history of chanoyu1

** From a powdered drink to chanoyu

simply put, chanoyu is based on the activity of drinking matcha, a mixture of powdered tea and hot water. After the introduction of this form of tea to Japan from China, however, it did not give rise to the Japanese practice of chanoyu right away. It took three hundred long years before chanoyu assumed its rudimentary form, and over the duration of more than five hundred years since then, it has changed in many ways. In the next tow chapters, let us take a simple look at its history from the time mathca entered Japan to its history from the time chapters, let us take a simple look at its history from the time matcha entered Japan to its establishment as the practice called chanoyu and, furthermore, its history to present times.

** Powdered tea enters Japan and is initially drunk as a medicine
the method of making matcha entered Japan from song-dynasty china around the end of the 13th century. Buddhist monks were responsible for its introduction to Japan, and apparently it was monks of the Zen sect of Buddhism, which had been introduced to Japan just a bit earlier,who accomplished this. Going for studies to Zen temples in China, upon their return to Japan they brought back knowledge about how to prepare this kind of tea that was drunk at the temples where they had studied, together with implements such as tea bowls and tea whisks required for it.

At first, matcha was drunk in order to overcome drowsiness during the practice of seated meditation, and for its benefits as a sort of medicinal cure-all. A monk named EISAI wrote a treatise describing the healthful benefits of tea drinking, and presented it to the shogun, Minamoto no SANETOMO, together with some tea in leaf form.

As time went by, matcha took hold not only as an herbal drink but also as a tasty beverage, and consequently tea plantations increased. The tea deriving from the seeds that MYOEI SHONIN had received from EISAI and had planted at the temple where he lived, KOZANJI temple in the TAGANO'O corner of Kyoto, gained repute as the best-quality tea, and even members of the ruling warrior class in remote KAMAKURA scrambled to procure some of it.

** the age of TOCHA(闘茶), tea-tasting competitions

the next era saw the rise of tea comparison, which developed into the competitive game called TOCHA(tea competition) wherein the players were to drink several kinds of tea and be tested for their ability to distinguish the 'real tea' grown in TAGANO'O from the 'false tea' grown elsewhere. Extravagant prizes were awarded to the ones who scored high, and this game became　an exciting fad. We can read about it in the TAIHEIKI history of the times, indicating its great popularity.

This amusement gradually became more involved, requiring not simply the ability to distinguish between 'real tea' and 'false tea', but the drinking of ten bowls of tea that were of four different tea varieties, and the ability to distinguish between them. Archaeological studies reveal that this game, called SHISHU JUPPUKU CHA(四種十服茶),　became popular not only among the warrior class, but also among the nobility as well as the common townsfolk, and was not limited to people in KAMAKURA( the center of the military government) and Kyoto(the official seat of emperor and capital of the country), but was popular throughout the country.

** Tea-enjoyment develops as an elegant activity, chasuki

The shishu juppuku cha game was a long and widespread fad, but, entering the 15th century, there appeared people who were particular about the implements used for it, such as the tea bowls(chawan) and vessels for fresh cold water( mizusashi), and so tea drinking took on another aspect besides providing sport for prize-winning, and assumed spiritual significance.

At this time in history, the activity called renga(collaborative verse-linking 連歌) was a great fad, and get-togethers for ti were taking place here and there. The enjoyment of renga was also referred to as utasuki(poetic aestheticism 歌数寄), and from this, the get-togethers held among those particularly keen about the tea implements and who felt that the get-together for tea enjoyment held special meaning came to be called chasuki(tea aestheticism 茶数寄). There even appeared a writting commenting that it would be nice if poetry recitation were like chasuki.

Previously, it was explained that chanoyu is comprised of three indispensable elements, the chashitsu(place), the temae(procedures), and the chadogu(implements). Looking to the era a chasuki to see if we find these three, we do find that by the end of the 15th century, although they were not yet completely developed, they had come into being, and the early stage of chanoyu had been established. The figure active in the history of chanoyu at this time was MURATA SHUKO(村田珠光), who in later ages came to be regarded as 'the father of chanoyu'.

sweet potato

very nice sweet potato. delicious.

chanoyu

Most people who are not natives of Japan exclaim surprise, like this, if they find that a native Japanese person does not know what chanoyu is. Ikebana(Japanese flower arrangement) and chanoyu(Japanese tea ceremony) are reputed as representative traditional Japanese cultural practices. The Japanese, in general, ought to have some knowledge of these, no?

The practical reality, however, is that when we people in Japan say 'tea' these days, as in the expression "have some tea," this generally registers as coffee or black tea. About the only common time matcha is drunk nowadays is in the form of "green tea latte" at a coffee shop. Ikebana, too, has nearly been taken over by Western style floral arrangement. This is to say that, as far as Japanese traditional culture is concerned, modern Japanese people may easily be strangers to it, much like non-Japanese.

This book was originally conceived as an aid for the Japanese person who thinks it would be good to know a bit about chanoyu and be able to offer an answer if asked by someone who does not speak Japanese, "What is chanoyu all about?" The content provides a solid, basic explanation of this question, and so through the Japanese alone, or the English alone, the reader can learn a lot about the answer. As it is in bi-lingual format, the content is also geared as a language-learning tool focused on the often esoteric realm of chanoyu, and this is its extra and extraordinary value.
The text was written with the "strange to the realm of chanoyu" in mind, but those who already learn and even teach chanoyu are sure to find it enlightening, whether reading just the Japanese or English, or using it both ways.

We invite you to open the pages of this web, and to open the door to chanoyu by doing so.

-the styles and uses of tea-

people around the world generally drink something-water,soda,juice,coffee,tea,or some other beverage-at meals, during breaks from work, or when they sit down together to engage in conversation. In Asia, and especially in China and Japan, from ancient times tea has been the most common beverage. To this day, the Chinese and Japanese drink tea as a part of daily life.

It was believed that the tea plant originated in the southern part of China, and according to Chinese scholars, the leaves were first used to make the beverage tea there more than 3000 years ago. As time went by, tea drinking spread throughout China, to neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam, and also to places outside of Asia, including the countries of the Middle East and Europe.

The English took a special liking to black tea, and even today they are known for their great fondness for it. In America, too, black tea was a popular beverage among the early settlers, and the famous Boston Tea Party that is often regarded as triggering the American War of Independence from England was the result of the people's rebellion against the high tax imposed on tea. In many countries of Europe, as well as in America,however,coffee gradually replaced tea as the predominant beverage.


In the countries of Asia, tea continues to be a popular drink. Also, in recent times tea plantations have appeared in parts of Latin America and Africa, and people in those regions are increasing drinking this beverage. Tea in various forms has thus become a popular drink with many people around the world.

Though tea is generally made by placing tea leaves in hot water, there are the three main methods for doing this, using tea leaves that have been processed differently and as a result have different colors and forms.


1. Decocted or brewed tea is made by placing the processed tea leaves in a kettle of boiling water and simmering them to extract the flavor and aroma into the water, which is then drunk. Japanese bancha(coarse tea) is brewed this way.

2. In infused or steeped tea, the processed tea leaves are placed in a pot or other vessel, hot water is added, and the leaves are steeped until the water is infused with their flavor. This is the method used for English black tea, Chinese longjing tea, and Japanese sencha(steeped tea).


3. In reconstituted or powdered tea, the processed tea leaves are ground into a fine powder. The powder is then placed in a bowl, a small amount of hot water is added, and the powder and water are mixed together(an act referred to as tateru in Japanese). Since reconstituted tea incorporates all of the effective ingredients of the tea leaf, the flavor and aroma of the tea leaf itself can be enjoyed. Japanese matcha(powered tea) is reconstituted tea.



People in different regions, countries, or cultural traditions process and drink tea in differing ways, and the customs and practices surrounding the use of tea by each of these groups can be regarded as their "tea culture". In other words, we can observe differences in the place and manner in which different people drink tea, the implements they use, who they drink tea with, when they drink it, and what they do or talk about as they do so. Though tea drinkers around the world are all drinking tea in one form or another, the situations in which it is drunk tea in one form or circumstances vary. The group of individuals who share in the tea by such factors as place, participants, ant implements - all these elements may be called that particular people's "tea culture".


The unique cultural and historical backgrounds of each region and people have shaped their tea cultures, with the result that there are many forms of tea culture around the world. For example, while both Chinese longjing tea and Japanese sencha are infused tea, the culture surrounding them is quite different, owing to the different cultural and historical conditions under which they developed.


Despite the differences in the various tea cultures of the world, however, they all share in the fact that they are based on the activity of tea drinking."Tea culture,"then, in one subdivision of
human culture in its entirely, and that universal tea culture can in turn be further subdivided into numerous distinct tea cultures that are specific to different nations, regions, and cultures.


tea has been drunk in Japan for more than a thousand years, and so the country has developed a tea culture of its own. This tea culture in Japan is diverse. When tea was first introduced to Japan from China around the year 800 A.D., it was in the form of dancha(brick tea), which was made into a drink by decoction or brewing. Dancha, however, was only available to the aristocracy and high-ranking Buddhist priests of the day, and it eventually disappeared.

The next form of tea introduced to Japan, again from China, was matcha, a reconstituted tea made by mixing powdered tea leaves with hot water, Matcha was initially drunk mainly by ZEN priests and high-ranking warriors, only gradually filtering down to the populace. It was been enjoyed by a broad spectrum of the Japanese people for centuries, and it remains popular today. Matcha also became the basis for the development of a tea culture unique to Japan, called chanoyu(literally, "hot water for tea"), in which people assemble not to drink tea, but also to engage in art appreciation and enjoy cuisine as part of the occasion.

Decocted or brewed tea also became popular among the masses in Japan. The custom of drinking decocted tea, known as bancha in Japan, seems to have arisen no later that the 15th century, and it continues to be very widely enjoyed today.


Infused or steeped tea was introduced from China by the 16th century,spreading mainly among the upper echelons of society in Japan. Called sencha(steeped tea) and ryokucha(green tea), this form of processed tea leaf and the tea beverage made in Japan today. In the last 18th century, sencha became the basis for an artistic pursuit distinct from chanoyu called senchado( the way of infused tea), which is also a form of tea culture unique to Japan.

Tea culture in Japan has a long and varied history that includes such distinctive traditions as choanoyu and senchado, unique among the tea cultures of the world. Chanoyu in particular, is a tradition of remarkable breadth and depth. condensed form

The phrase -tea culture- has been used a number of times already here. In truth, however, the question of what "culture" exactly means is an extremely difficult one, and people have widely differing notions about it. "Civilization " and "culture" are similar concepts, and just how they differ is another matter of debate and is not something that can be explained in a few simple words. Let us, nevertheless, roughly think of "culture" as something that arises when some matter is impregnated with the workings of the spirit. Without the workings of the human spirit combined within it, the matter is little more than something merely done instinctively or through habit.

This means that Japanese culture is the result of the Japanese people's spirit being combined within it. What, then, are the characteristics of Japanese culture? Let us look at a few examples and give this question some fresh thought.

1. It is a lunar culture : What is meant by this is, like the moon which shines by reflecting the light from the sun, Japanese people have not been the radical source of original ideas that have radiated around the world. Rather, they have almost solely made use of ideas borrowed from the outside. The reflection that we see in Japan of the Japanese have accepted the idea, they have added their own inventive touch. In a wide range of fields, including for example the Japanese written language,government, religion,education, and scientific technology, this has been the tendency.

2. The influence of Buddhism is strong:Buddhism was introduced into Japan around the middle of the 6th century, and over time it became the national religion. Through its long history, the Buddhist way of thought permeated into such faces of the people's lives as their view of life and death, their response to their natural environment, and the way they reacted to other religions. Besides the basic influence it has exerted, Buddhism has also had a powerful influence on the arts of Japan.

3. The people coexist with nature: From ancient times, the Japanese have not thought of humans and nature as opposing each other, but have lived according to the understanding that humans are an element of nature. Therefore, rather than attempting to suppress nature, they have tried to blend in with nature as it is, and have thought in terms of appreciating the blessings of nature. Not only is this reflected in the unity of nature and the people's lifestyle, but also, the close tie between humans and nature is commonly expressed in Japanese literature, paintings, and other art of forms.

4. Mutual accord is highly value: Japanese people, as individuals, have valued the idea of maintaining accord between themselves and the rest of those in their group, rather than the idea of the self-assertion. This may be due to the lingering influence of the social system in Japanese history, especially that during the EDO Period. When we consider the relationship between the individual and the group within Japan's political,economic,and social scenes, and also within the company, school, and family arenas, this tendency is obvious. Even in chanoyu, the harmony achieved in the combination of implements that one puts together is important.

5. Form is considered important: It is often said that the Japanese are weak at thinking rationally, and this weakness is considered to be due to their custom of learning techniques and skills by firstly focusing attention on the model form. This approach is widely seen in the fields of the fine and applied arts, performing arts, and martial arts, as well as education and social conduct. Conjointly with the characteristic tendency to value mutual accord as explained in 4 above, this characterizes the Japanese the their culture.

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Culture is an extremely broad realm, and there are very obvious as well as not so obvious fields within it. Let us refer to the former as "surface culture" and the latter as "base culture".
Surface-stratum culture includes many genres such as politics, economics, art , and sports. Looking at the art genre among these, it furthermore comprises a number of categories. The following is a list of some representative ones.


1. Fine and applied art, such as painting, sculpture, architecture, and handicrafts.

2.Physical performing arts, such as the theatrical arts and dance.

3. Artistic accomplishments(productions) which, in the traditional fields in Japan, would include chanoyu, flower arrangement, incense appreciation, noh( a form of classical dramatic dance), bunraku(classical Japanese form of puppet theater), kabuki, and so forth, and in popular fields would include such things as enka(balled singing) and contemporary stage show.

4. Music, including such traditional forms as shomyo(Buddhist chanting), gagaku(court music), koto(Japanese harp), and shakuhachi(Japanese bamboo flute).

5. Literature, including narrative tales, verse, waka(Japanese 31- syllable poetry), renga(collaborative verse-ling), haiku, and so forth.


In America and Europe, the tendency when thinking of art is to focus on such fields as painting, sculpture, and architecture, as given in category 1 above, and because modern Japanese education has taken European thought and methods as its model, this has become the focus of art education. However, there are many fields besides painting, sculpture, and architecture which deserve recognition as forms of art, and sometimes these especially reveal the characteristics of the country and its people. Particularly, in Japan the development of artistic accomplishments and handicrafts has been strong, and these fields not only characterize the art culture of this country but have greatly influenced the lives of the Japanese.


In this construct, we see that chanoyu belongs to the category of artistic accomplishment(production) of the traditional sort; it represents a genre of art culture; and it is among the forms of surface culture of Japan.




Not only is chanoyu a form of surface culture of Japan, but it encompasses many of the aspects of Japanese culture that we have looked at. Therefore, to explain what chanoyu is involves explaining what Japanese culture is. We might say that chanoyu is Japanese culture in condensed form, meaning that it is a concentration of many genres within the realm of Japanese culture. To understand about chanonyu thus, in a sense, is tantamount to understanding Japanese culture.

And so, just what is this chanoyu that contains so many aspects of Japanese culture? It is possible to define it in certain terms as follows:

Chanoyu is an artistic accomplishment that takes the form of a unique "milieu" occasioned by tea drinking. This milieu is realized within a place and space designed especially for it, utilizing implements especially for it, by way of a host preforming the service of food and drink to guests in a certain manner and according to a certain order which is called temae.

In other words, chanoyu is a form of artistic accomplishment(production)wherein, in the special space of a chashitsu(tea room) special implements referred to as chadogu(tea implements) are used and, making use of the performance style called temae, the "performer"who is the host and the "audience" who are the guests cooperate to produce a unique "milieu"(ba; a setting in time and space where pariticipants share in a certain experience). Even though it has qualities of a performance, eating and drinking are major facets of it, and another fundamental quality that sets it apart from other sorts of artistic performances is that, instead of the usual clear division between performer and audience, in chanoyu these two sides together make up the team of role players.

Also, we can say that there are the following three indispensable elements of chanoyu:
1. the chashitsu, or specially designed place and space where it happens
2. the temae, or series of procedure followed to prepare for making the tea, then to do the tea making, and then to put the things away
3. the chadogu, or implements for the actual tea making or for artistic appreciation