The Japanese Tea Ceremony was created by Sen no Rikyu, and is renowned as a uniquely Japanese ceremony.
The
Japanese Tea Ceremony is one of the more famous cultural gems that Japan
has shown to the world. Though tea had come to Japan in the 6th century
via China, it did not take its true cultural roots until the 10th
century, when the Zen monk Eisai, founder of the Rinzai Sect of
Buddhism, brought powdered tea back with him from his overseas travels.
It was not until the 14th century that the most vital component to the
Japanese tea ceremony, wabicha, was developed
by Sen no Rikyu, a monk who, in his later years, became a tea master
for Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a daimyo in the Sengoku period who unified the
political factions of Japan and ordered the construction of Osaka
Castle). He loved Raku teaware for its unordinary shapes, and switched
from white ware to black. He is the father of Japan’s modern Japanese
tea ceremony. Sen no Rikyu also played a pivotal role in Hideyoshi’s
more famous tea ceremony gathering at Kitano Tenman-Gu (the temple near
our house).
Unfortunately, over reasons that still are not quite known for certain, Hideyoshi ordered Sen no Rikyu to commit seppuku
(ritual Japanese suicide) in 1591. Sen no Rikyu completed this order in
a villa at Nishi-Honganji, a temple in the south of Kyoto. I’ve had an
opportunity to see the villa where the ritual happened, but pictures
were not allowed. You can see an official picture of the house to the
right. The house is typically closed off to the public, but through my
school, I was able to visit it.
Since I
had taken a class about the history of tea in East Asia at the
University of California, Berkeley, I definitely wanted to try to
participate in a tea ceremony while in Japan. Through KPIC (Kyoto
Prefectural International Center), Nicky and I were able to take a Tea
Ceremony class with Souyu-sensei, a teacher of the Urasenke School of
Tea, which is very popular in Japan right now. Classes are held every
month, so Nicky and I plan to keep going back. At our first lesson, we
were able to eat a chestnut sweet and make tea, but I don’t think I was
very good at the specifics. The way you have to fold the handkerchief is
very detailed, and I’m certain I will forget it by the time the next
class rolls around... I need to find a red handkerchief so that I can
practice outside of class! ...I also need to find some cheap matcha...
you’d be surprised how hard it is to find Japan!