喫茶去SBCC 日本語クラス
What is Chanoyu, Tradition of Way of Tea?
I will try to talk about chanoyu today.
Please look at the scroll on the alcove.
What does it say? It says Kissako.
It’s meaning by Zen doctrine is, Go to drink a cup of tea and wake up!
It’s meaning by chanoyu is, Sit down and have a bowl of tea.
I chose the above for the theme of today’s gathering.
We know many ways of tea drinking style around the world.
What is a difference between Japanese chanoyu and others?
Normally we drink tea daily for relieving thirst or enjoying its taste.
But you have a bowl of tea in the teahouse when you are invited as a guest, which has a little bit different purpose.
The hostess / host presents you the scroll, incent, flowers even good meals, charcoal set, delicious sweets and (the last is) a bowl of tea.
She /he makes every effort for serving the best bowl of tea for her /his guests.
All processes to make a bowl of tea are presented in front of her/his guests.
It is likely that you sit at the Sushi counter for waiting sushi which is ready for serving just for you.
Both the Sushi chef and tea person prepare foods or utensils behind the scene.
Why people drink a bowl of tea in the Teahouse?
The Teahouse is designed only for the tea gathering purpose.
Riku-u陸羽 wrote a book “Chakyo”茶経 in the 8th Century in China.
Almost at the same time, Tea was introduced as medicine to Japan through Zen Monks who studied Zen in China.
But the style and procedure of tea ceremony was created in Japan and established as rich culture over many years.
In the 16th century, Sen Rikyu, the founder of today’s Chanoyu culture, who established the Sen family.
The era was the turbulent age of wars.
Chanoyu was allowed to perform only by the selected samurais.
These samurais were devoted into Chanoyu, why?
Because, they found some good benefits in chanoyu that has
incredible effects to heel their exhausted mind and body when they sat in the tea house.
Is it true? YES! but there is no magic.
The Teahouse was not necessary to built in the deep mountains.
It stood in the convenient middle of the town but once you step into the gate, you were led into feeling of the calm mountains.
Because a leading path from the gate to the Teahouse was designed like a mountain path.
You were approaching step by step to the Teahouse.
Your stress was reduced one by one and you feel confidence of capacity in your mind.
Finally you reached the Teahouse and useing the Tsukubai, you were ready to enter the Teahouse with readiness.
Your brain filled with alpha wave.
So, samurais could face to the truth by themselves before war battle field.
You imagine just like the rabbit hole of Alice in the wander land,.
This occasion is not every day’s life, but you spend this moment as you think only this moment.
Tea person must be truly an artistic creator, an event producer, and an entertainer.
I have a story:
Rikyu was invited to the tea gathering by Hechikan who was a humble tea person.
Rikyu and his pupils went to the Hechikan’s hut.
They found a covered pitfall. Even if Rikyu knew it, he walked into the pitfall and got mess by himself.
Hechikan, came out from the hut and invited him to take the bath.
Rikyu thanked him to take bathing and had a good bowl of tea.
Rikyu’s pupils asked him later that, “Master, why did you fall into the pitfall even you knew it?”
Rikyu said, because Hechikan wanted me to get mess and had bathing, that was his plan to entertain me.
Historically, in the old style of chanoyu, people got bath and have a bowl of tea.
Tea with Bathing: Bathing house has second floor for tea serving. Dogo Spring.
At the teahouse, Hostess and the guest must be equal status; the both must understand each other’s mind even no words.
We enjoy watching the process of making tea and be humble herself or himself to understand chanoyu deeply.
The chanoyu is the most beautiful, creative Japanese culture of Hospitality or Omotenashi.
Carry water, set sticks, boil water, serve a bowl of tea to the Buddha and our guest then drink by herself or himself, set flowers and burn incense.
This is the leaning way of Zen, and Chanoyu as well.
Let’s have a bowl of tea
