Discover the Art of Japanese Tea Ceremony: A Beginner's Experience

Welcome everyone to Kobe-ji Temple At our temple Kobe-ji founded by Kūkai we share the way of tea with everyone Recently we've had quite a number of visitors from overseas Since the pandemic people from 28 countries have come to the temple and participated in tea ceremony experiences Indeed many people from overseas are deeply interested in Japanese culture asking questions like "Why do you sit in seiza " or "Why do you swirl the tea " You might uncover a variety of honest questions By the way does anyone here have any involvement with tea ceremonies or tea gatherings at all Not in any formal way really What kind of image do you have in mind Sitting cross-legged is uncomfortable or the tea tastes bitter That's a difference in perspective Actually it's perfectly fine to loosen your foot so please don' t push yourself too hard Many visitors from overseas do the same Actually I found sitting in seiza during tea ceremony quite painful back then so I was told to push through—it's all part of the practice It's actually tied to the history of the tea ceremony Do you know when tea was first introduced to Japan The earliest instance dates back to the Heian period During the Heian period Japanese envoys traveled to the Tang dynasty in the East and it is said that students who studied there brought tea back to Japan It is officially dated to the era of the founding of the calendar At that time it was more of a medicinal substance than anything else Tea has been brought back as a symbol of such tolerant plants and it was only when it truly began to make a difference that its significance became clear Especially during the Kamakura period that was the case During the Kamakura period someone wrote a Japanese text called Eisei A book titled "The Tea Drinking Guide for Health and Vitality" was also written detailing how tea was sent to the court of the Three Great Shoguns including the source of Minamoto no Sanae It's finally become firmly established in Japan So until now it's been more so among monks and priests From that era onward warriors and others finally began drinking and this continued into the postwar period figures such as Sen no Rikyū whom you mentioned earlier People like Oda Nobunaga and Date Masamune for instance regarded tea ceremony as a refined practice befitting warriors of their time As the Edo period progressed tea gradually became more widely consumed among common people and by the time the Meiji era arrived its popularity had grown even further Things considered feminine refinements are essentially bridal training That's how it has persisted to this day While many associate women closely with the tea ceremony in fact when traced to its origins He actually went there you know It was considered a samurai's proper conduct Yes that's right First I'd like to continue our discussion while demonstrating the process so I'll begin by showing you how to prepare the tea and I kindly ask for your attention and cooperation Yes indeed I think I'll briefly raise the tea for you now Why raise the tea Or maybe phrases like "passing it around" or "drinking it all down " there are all sorts of expressions and talking about those along with our own vulnerabilities I'd like to share this with everyone Thank you First of all this utensil known as a chashaku is used to scoop tea and this is what it's called It's a tea scoop There is tea inside this and by opening the lid you can access the tea contained within It will have to be dropped Indeed there's tea powder clinging to the tip so gently tap it twice to remove it Perhaps it's precisely that delicate attention to operation that makes such a thoughtful impression This is what's known as the secret scoop It serves as an essential tool for ladling hot water or plain water to adjust the mixture That's typical isn't it This pot here is always boiling fiercely so the key point is to scoop water from here to cool it down Putting everything in together will lower the temperature of the water in this pot Naturally the water is normally boiling but impurities will rise to the top Therefore in this case our school considers it proper to fully submerge the secret vessel to the bottom and then carefully scoop up clean hot water from the bottom That's right—put in half then take back half That's where we begin then I think I'd like to talk about something for a moment—using what's known as a "tea line " I 'd like to prepare this tea specifically by creating foam through the process of whisking it It's one of the highlights after all There's foam here for now but apparently the presence of foam is considered proof that it's been properly prepared For now it's in this form Being creamy and standing firm is considered one perfected form Would you like to present it from Mr Iwasa's side Yes please do Yes I'd like to try drinking the tea I just prepared Actually there' s a proper way to do it First take the tea bowl with your right hand Hold it with your left hand then rotate it once clockwise just a little Then rotate it and change your grip With gratitude one takes a sip of tea and in the tea ceremony one typically drinks it in three and a half sips meaning it's considered finished after three full sips and half of another It's considered ideal Of course depending on the amount you could have four or five times as well but as a general guideline half a serving is recommended so please take this opportunity to try it out yourselves I feel I really want to convey this Yes it was delicious Don't you have any questions for Iwasa-san Well um finally I think it was completely sucked down right What does that even mean Yes that's right Making that loud slurping sound is often considered impolite It's so common especially with ramen like this Well there are all sorts of dishes but actually this "sucking it dry" thing— The reason is that back then during periods like the Edo or Sengoku eras there were naturally no sources of light especially at night You gradually reduce it using the candle's flame that's how this mechanism works As a result the host preparing the tea and the guests can't see each other I don't know what it's doing Naturally operation basically involves very little conversation so naturally predicting its actions really hinges on sound being a crucial factor After all by standing still the homeowner must have felt they were being overlooked—clearly the guest had turned away Therefore the next move— As a signal to proceed forward this element signifies drawing in all the heat and that's precisely what's happening Understood I think there was an action of turning several times but what's the significance of that direction Yes that's right I recall Mr Iwazawa mentioning the act of turning just now Actually spinning it has a purpose Normally this might be a bit hard to grasp but these types of bowls have designs or patterns on them Of course you pay attention to the design when preparing the tea And naturally when serving guests you present the most attractive part of the design And at that point the idea of directly applying the design part by mouth is still considered a form of physical promotion so to avoid that we slightly rotate it That's meant to express respect for the homeowner who built it So actually I often hear about the idea of turning it three times you know Actually in my school it's considered sufficient to do it just once because the emphasis is on avoiding it so the number of times isn't really that important Yes That's how it's generally understood to be meant Yes thank you I think I was wiping the mouthpiece but does that have some significance too Yes that's right I think I wiped it with my hand just now but naturally touching it with your mouth would make it dirty wouldn't it Returning something that's already been soiled directly to the guest or rather to the master of the house— Since that would be impolite in this case gently wipe it clean with your hand and then stand it upright before returning it to the owner And the tea I'm serving now is called Oosu which is a light tea The kind traditionally served at formal tea gatherings is the one known as thick tea That's what makes it proper tea— after all it's naturally thick and sticky so you can't wipe it off by hand instead you have to use a scraper It's considered necessary to do so Yes thank you Yes today I learned a lot about tea ceremony from Professor Miyazaki Thank you very much thank you so much