Ways that Japanese Tea Ceremony Reflect Japanese Culture - Essay Example

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Name Date of Submission Ways that Japanese Tea Ceremony Reflect Japanese Culture Tea is one of the most popular drinks worldwide. Tea is a popular drink not just in the Western countries but also in the entire continent. However, whenever the term teatime is mentioned in the Western societies, the first thing that usually comes into the minds of many is the British Isles that has traditionally being linked to tea ceremony (Singer 60). However, in some societies, tea and tea ceremony has a lot of historical and cultural meanings. Such is seen in Japan where the tea has massive cultural undertones. In Japan, a tea ceremony called in Japanese language as chanoyu is usually held every year and has a lot of cultural significance to the Japanese people (Plutschow 1). In fact, because of its importance, the Japanese people are expected to partake in the ceremony and observe the rules involved. This paper examines the ways in which the tea ceremony reflects the Japanese culture. History of Tea Ceremony in Japan and its Performance The significance of tea ceremony to the Japanese people can be elucidated by its history. Although tea ceremony is a very important and popular event in Japan, the idea of tea drinking or tea ceremony did not begin in Japan. Instead, the history of tea is traced to China, where tea was originally grown. From China, the Monk Eisai is believed to be the first person to bring the concept of powdered tea from Japan to China (Mooney B2). Before the Monk Eisai brought the concept of powdered tea in Japan, it was a common practice for people to simply pick the tea leaves and submerge them into hot water to develop tea. Monk, however, came up with the idea of grinding dried tea leaves into powered form and then mixing with hot water to create tea. Besides, it is strongly believed that it was Monk Eisai was the first person to ever grow tea for reasons more than just for medicinal purposes as he is said to have grown tea for religious reasons, as well (Singer 61). As such, it is because of Monk Eisai’s position as a Buddhist monk that the Japanese tea ceremony is linked to Zen Buddhism. Since then, tea ceremony has become an important part of the Japanese cultural practice. The tea ceremony is very unique to each other in Japan to the extent that every guest who has the opportunity of celebrating one is expected to cherish the ceremony and demonstrate humility throughout the ceremony (Ali et al. 2390). This is because the type of food, the atmosphere and the surrounding where the ceremony is performed is unique and is determined by season, such as summer (Ali et al. 2392). This implies that this such as the food eaten during these tea ceremonies differ considerably. The Japanese tea ceremony is performed by up to five people though the number could be higher. The actual ceremony is divided into three sections, namely preliminary, middle and final section. The first part of the tea ceremony involves curtaining of the windows an exercise that is done using bamboo screens to create darkness in the room where the ceremony is to be held. The scrolls are also illuminated during this stage and replaced with new ones (Plutschow 1). This is followed with the middle stage where the guests are served with a simple meal by the host. The meal is followed by the guests being served sweet cakes, which is followed by the guests being allowed time to go and relax in the inner garden to meditate. The final stage of the ceremony is known as nochiseki where various ceremonial activities take place. Here, the floral arrangement is done by replacing the alcove. Items such as water jar, tea utensils and tea candy are all placed in the area where the ceremony is to be performed. The room’s atmosphere is then changed to bright light (Singer 63). This is done with the help is bamboo. Once this is dons, the host is expected to perform the tea ceremony in silence as the guests focus on the host’s movements. The main guests are them allowed to talk to the hosts as other guests listen to their conversation in silence. The tea is drunk and silence continues. This is followed by smothering of the fire through addition of charcoal as the boiling of the kettle dies down. The cer4emoney is ended by serving of a thin tea to the guests, which is also drunk in complete silence. Japanese in a Past Tea Ceremony Source: Singer (63). How the Ceremony Reflects Japanese Culture As mentioned earlier, unlike in the Western culture where tea is a normal drink that people drink as a stimulant and to relax during the day, tea has huge cultural significance to the Japanese people. In Japan, tea is not just drunk for the sake of drinking, but has cultural and historical significance. The first cultural significance of the tea ceremony is that it is a time that people come together to socialize and forget all the bad thoughts that are disturbing them in life (Ludwig 28). Because the Japanese people believes that everyone undergoes different form of life challenges as they go about their daily businesses, it is important that people sometimes come together and relieve themselves of the bad thoughts and troubles in and this is done during tea ceremony. During the tea ceremony, the Japanese gather in the host’s house, where they cherish the encounter between the host and the guests in a calm, peaceful and relaxed environment. In fact, during the tea ceremony, a number of traditional rituals are performed while the tea is prepared by a highly skilled practitioner who must observe all the requirements in accordance with the Japanese culture and tradition. Once the tea is prepared, it is served to small groups of quests in a calm and peaceful environment (Singer 61). Therefore, tea ceremony is used to value human encounters in the sense that it helps bring people together. Each of the human encounters during the tea ceremony is peculiar with all participants expected to cherish. According to Tea Master Soshitsu Sen XV, the human encounters during the tea ceremony are very critical for the human being. This is particularly so with regards to the encounters through a bowl of tea, which is used by the Japanese people to dialogue heart-to-heart with those who are new to them by showing empathy and consideration (Ludwig 29). Secondly, the tea ceremony has a cultural significance in the sense that it is time for prayers. The Japanese people are very religious people with the majority subscribing to the Buddhist religion. As such, the tea ceremony is a time when people come together to offer prayers as the tea used in the ceremony signifies purity. During the ceremony, the guests and the hosts do not just engage in drinking the tea. Instead, the small groups that have gathered first begin by meditating and offering prayers to their gods. Once this is done, the tea is drunk to signify purity. For instance, the idea of wabi and sabi are infused during the meditation time (Penrod 3). According to the Japanese people, once a person has drunk the green tea prepared for the ceremony, they believe that they have been purified. As such, they depart knowing that their sins have been forgiven even as they go back to their homes. As such, the tea has a lot of spiritual connotation to the extent that all Japanese people are expected to participate in the ceremony if they want to get spiritual nourishment and to be purified (Mooney B2). The tea ceremony also reflects culture of the Japanese people in the sense that the ceremony is help the participants discipline themselves and to be able to acquire a fresh perspective of what life is all about such as understanding how to go about hardship with composure. In this regard, the ceremony provides the guests and the hosts with the opportunity to understand how to confront the problems that they may encounter in life in soberly and with composure (Mooney B2). Additionally, the Japanese tea ceremony is used to communicate the Japanese cultural values and esthetics. This is evident from the fact that the room in which the ceremony is held is artistically arranged and involves serving particular foods, which indicates the Japanese cultural esthetics (Plutschow 1). For instance, the way in which the Japanese strikes a balance between harmony and texture demonstrated through ikebana style flower is trying to shows that Japanese people value art as part of their culture. The room in which the ceremony is held is also beautifully decorated with bamboos and flowers and poetic calligraphy that also show the extent to which the Japanese people are culturally artistic, something that they value and uphold. Moreover, the tea ceremony also shows that Japanese people culturally value humility, respect, good manners, discipline and kindness (Ali et al. 2394). For instance, during the tea ceremony, the guests and the host are expected to demonstrate humbleness and respect. As soon at the door to the sukiya is opened, all those who enter are expected to bow and humble themselves before proceeding to the ceremony room (Singer 64). Again, once in the room, the guests are expected to humble themselves before the beautifully arranged flowers, poetic calligraphy and the scroll of artwork in the room. By bowing and showing humbleness before these artworks, this communicates to the rest of the work that Japanese people culturally value respect, humility discipline and good manners. Therefore, attending the tea ceremony is meant to teach the guest these values that they are expected to uphold and impart on others. Conclusion The tea ceremony is more than just the act of drinking tea in a gathering. Instead, it has a lot of cultural message. As discussed above, the tea ceremony has spiritual meaning as it brings people together to socializes and reflect about life and forget above the bad things that they go through in life. The ceremony also symbolizes purity, peace, art, humility, respect and other values that the Japanese people expect people to uphold in the society. Works Cited Ali, Adibah, Rusmadiah Anwar, Oskar Hasdinor Hassan, and Ham Rabeah Kamarun. Significance of Japanese Tea Ceremony Values with Ceramic Art Interpretation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 106 (2013): 2390–2396. Print. Ludwig, Theodore M. “The Way of Tea: A Religio-Aesthetic Mode of Life.” History of Religions (1974): 28-50. Print. Mooney, Carolyn. “Learning the Spirit Behind the Ritual of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.” The Chronicle of Higher Education (1996): B2. Print. Penrod, Alyssa. Art Zen and the Art of Tea. 1-5. Print. Plutschow, Herbert. An Anthropological Perspective on the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Anthropoetics 5.1 (1999): 1. Print. Singer, Jane. “Chanoyu, the Way of Tea.” Japan Quarterly (1998): 60-66. Print. Read More