The Japanese Tea Ceremony, also known as Chanoyu, is a ritual that puts an artistic twist on the process of making and serving tea. What makes this ritual unique is the level of detail that goes into making the tea and setting everything up. “It encompasses not only the preparation and drinking of tea, but also the environment where the ceremony takes place: the architectural structure of the teahouse and surrounding gardens, calligraphic scrolls or flower arrangements…”[1] Being practiced by many Japanese over the centuries, this historic ceremony has been highly praised. A widely regarded figure in the tea community is Sen no Rikyū, “the person credited with elevating the tea ceremony into a ritual.”[2]
Sen no Rikyū was born in Sakai in 1522.[3] At a young age, toward the late 1530’s, Rikyū began studying tea. As he grew older, he became very knowledgeable on tea ceremonies and how they operate. He wrote many tea-related poems and created his own set of rules for tea ceremonies, emphasizing a rustic, spiritual perspective on them. Around 1573, Rikyū was invited to be the Master of Tea Ceremony for Oda Nobunaga, “one of the three unifiers of premodern Japan.”[4] Rikyū’s knowledge on tea earned him a high status with Nobunaga. After the daimyō’s death, however, Rikyū “became the head tea master of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the de facto successor of Nobunaga.”[5] The two became very close, with Rikyū aiding Hideyoshi in matters outside of tea. For unknown reasons, Hideyoshi forced Sen no Rikyū to commit suicide in 1591.
After Rikyū’s death, European traders began to import tea from Japan in the seventh century.[6] The British were fascinated with tea and the concept of the tea ceremony. So much so that tea became a celebrated drink among the citizens of the United Kingdom. Until the late 19th century, only men typically participated in the tea ceremony. From then on, many women began to study the process of Chanoyu.[7] “Today approximately three billion people a day drink tea.”[8] Many of these people, regardless of gender or country of origin, take part in the great Chanoyu tea ceremony!
Bibliography
[1]Hansen, Kelly, and Hansen. “Japanese Tea Ceremony.” In Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, edited by Andrea L. Stanton, Edward Ramsamy, Peter J. Seybolt, and et. al.. Sage Publications, 2012. https://muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sagecsme/japanese_tea_ceremony/0?institutionId=4200
[2]Ibid.
[3]”Sen No Rikyu.” Sen No Rikyu – New World Encyclopedia. Accessed May 02, 2019. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sen_no_Rikyu.
[4]”Oda Nobunaga.” In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica Digital Learning, 2017. https://muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ebconcise/oda_nobunaga/0?institutionId=4200
[5]”Sen No Rikyu.” Sen No Rikyu – New World Encyclopedia. Accessed May 02, 2019. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sen_no_Rikyu.
[6]Macfarlane, Alan, and Alan MACFARLANE. “Tea.” In Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, Second Edition, edited by William McNeill. 2nd ed. Berkshire Publishing Group, 2011. https://muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/berkwhist/tea/0?institutionId=4200
[7]Ibid.
[8]Ibid.
Images
Chikanobu, Yōshū. “Yōshū Chikanobu Cha No Yu.” Digital image. Wikipedia. August 10, 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yōshū_Chikanobu_Cha_no_yu.jpg.
Hasegawa, Tōhaku. “Sen No Rikyu JPN.” Digital image. Wikipedia. April 27, 2006. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sen_no_Rikyu_JPN.jpg.
Nuñez, Emerson, Staff Sgt. A seonsaeng, or teacher, assists the Breckenridge family during a Korean tea culture and customs lecture at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Oct. 23, 2013. The teachers helped everyone that participated go through each step in the traditional ceremony. Digital image. Pacific Air Forces. October 23, 2013. https://media.defense.gov/2013/Oct/23/2000902485/-1/-1/0/131022-F-TF218-032.JPG.
