Introduction
Japan’s tea ceremony captured the imagination of observers and practitioners all over the world. There is a mystical and practical aspect of the said ritual. This ancient form of tea preparation was created to accomplish certain spiritual goals. The most important facet is the need to control the body and mind to experience a profound sense of tranquility. Modern-day commemoration of the said ritual retains certain aspects of the spiritual need to experience harmony, balance, and mental power. However, the purpose and value of the ritual exceed religious pursuits. Modern-day commemoration of the Japanese tea ceremony recognizes the importance of harmony, wholeness, balance, and the need to nurture personal relationships.
Background of the Tradition
The world-renown Japanese tea ceremony is also known as Chado or Sado (Kato, 2004). This is a highly ritualized act characterized by the making and drinking of tea. The participants are expected to make and drink tea by a strict and formal protocol. Practitioners believe that there is a mystical or religious element to the said ceremony. Others are drawn to it due to the philosophical underpinnings of the said ritual. Be that as it may, the Japanese tea ceremony is a good example of a distinct Japanese cultural activity.
History of the Tradition
Historians agree that the universally recognized protocols in the said Japanese tea ceremony were established in the mid-sixteenth century. A historical approach to understanding the meaning and purpose of the said ritual reveals connections to Indian and Chinese culture. Historians believe that the use of tea leaves in the elaborate ceremony is a practice that may have been adopted from India or China.
It is safe to assume that the historical tradition of this practice is linked to religious rituals. The earliest forms of the Japanese tea ceremony came into fruition to satisfy certain religious requirements, such as, the need to focus the mind in the act of meditation. There is also evidence to suggest that the ceremony was invented to develop a way to harmonize the flow of power in the spiritual and physical realm (Anderson, 1991). Historical accounts revealed that Japanese tea masters learned how to perform the basic elements of the tea preparation ritual from Chinese monks (Sadler, 2011).
The Symbolism of the Food
There is only one food item in this particular ritual. At the heart of the ceremony is the utilization of tea leaves. In other words, the whole ceremony is centered on the preparation of a certain type of beverage. The consumption of tea is a global pastime. Tea leaves are also popular because of its refreshment value. However, in this ceremony, the preparation and the act of consuming the beverage require certain precise actions.
The extraction of the prized liquid from the tea leaves symbolizes health, wholeness, and the attainment of balance. Without a doubt, the sophisticated development of the said ceremony begins with the appreciation of the health benefits of tea leaves. Consider for example the active ingredient called theine. This chemical compound is a stimulant. It is easy to understand how the participants achieve balance after the stimulant nurtures and reinvigorate the body and mind. The ceremony also symbolizes the desire to achieve wholeness, because tea leaves are full of vitamins and minerals. Tea leaves contain tannin, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin C (Anderson, 1991). Students of herbal medicine pointed out that the consumption of tea allowed ancient men and women to neutralize the poison in the digestive system.
Purpose and Value
According to practitioners and tea masters, the desire to learn the ritual comes from the need to cultivate concentration and mental force (Kato, 2004). This is made possible by the need to master the precision of body movement. Also, it is a way to learn good manners. It is also an opportunity to express social politeness.
Japanese experts in the art of Chado asserted that there is a meditative aspect to the said ceremony. By going through the motions of the said ritual, a practitioner experiences a certain level of mental tranquility. Furthermore, the Japanese tea ceremony is a mechanism that allows a host to experience a certain level of profound communion with his or her fellow men (Anderson, 1991).
Link to the Culture’s Historical Background
It is impossible to fully understand the deeper ramifications of the Japanese tea ceremony without investigating how it is tied up to the culture’s historical background. An in-depth study of the said ritual leads to the discovery of distinct cultural characteristics inherent to Japanese society. For example, Japanese people are known for their passionate pursuit of perfection in the context of professional and artistic activities. This mentality finds expression in several high-quality products that are made in Japan. This pursuit of excellence is also expressed in self-discipline. Japanese men and women are unafraid to go through a training process that oftentimes requires repetitive tasks and back-breaking labor.
It is interesting to note certain features of the Japanese tea ceremony, especially those that are related to self-discipline and hard work. According to experts in this field of inquiry, the ceremony is synonymous with bodily discipline (Kato, 2004). The idea is to control the body to control the mind (Kato, 2004). Furthermore, the tea ceremony is not just about the preparation of certain types of food, the activity also incorporates the preparation and utilization of the Japanese garden, Japanese calligraphy, and Japanese architecture.
Commemoration in Modern Times
The basic elements of the complicated tea preparation process are still evident in the modern-day commemoration of the age-old tradition. The guest prepares a bowl that contains powered tea. The next step requires the addition of hot water into the bowl. The host uses a device to stir the liquid.
The aforementioned basic steps form only a part of the modern commemoration of the Japanese tea ceremony. Present-day practitioners also highlight the importance of the shape, size, architecture, and interior design of the tearoom (Brown & Brown, 2006). Practitioners perform the ritual as a way to express hospitality to honored guests. However, some commemorate the said tradition for self-enlightenment and meditation (Chiba, 2011).
Conclusion
Chinese culture played a major part in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. The historical tradition is rooted in the interaction of Japanese practitioners and Chinese monks. Thus, it is easy to understand the spiritual underpinnings of the said ritual. However, the infusion of Japanese culture into the said ceremony highlights the importance of self-control, discipline, and the need to honor and express a profound level of hospitality and communion to the assembled guests inside the tearoom.
References
Anderson, J. (1991). An introduction to Japanese tea ritual. New York: SUNY Press.
Brown, J., & Brown, J. (2006). China, Japan, Korea: Culture and customs. South Carolina: Booksurge.
Chiba, K. (2011). Japanese women, class and the tea ceremony: The voices of tea practitioners. New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
Kato, E. (2004). The tea ceremony and women’s empowerment in Japan. New York: Routledge.
Sadler, A. (2011). Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese tea ceremony. UK: Tuttle.