How to Conduct a Japanese Tea Ceremony

The Japanese Tea ceremony originated in China and was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks during the 9th century. Today, the Japanese Tea ceremony encompasses both philosophical and artistic traditions. Becoming a skilled host requires years of practice, during which spiritual growth accompanies acquisition of skill.

Things You'll Need

• Stoneware tea set
• Stoneware jar or mizusashi
• Tana or wooden stand
• Namagashi or sweet appetizers
• Hachi or bowl
• Chaire or bowl
• Kakemono or scroll painting
• Kama or kettle
• Furo or portable hearth
• Shifuju or fine silk pouch
• Tatami mats
• Matcha or powdered green tea
• Chawan or tea bowl
• Chasen or tea whisk
• Chashaku or curved scoop made from bamboo
• Chakin or a white linen
• Hishaku or bamboo water ladle
• Fukusa or fine silk cloth
• Futaoki or green bamboo lid rest

Instructions

Prepare for Ceremony

1. Aspire to live up to the standards of a well hosted tea ceremony. These standards include the following: prepare everything ahead of time, display the flowers as they would be seen in nature, evoke a sense of coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter, prepare for rain, make an inviting bowl of tea, respect and attend to your guests and boil water efficiently.

2. Strive to meet the four principles of the tea ceremony including: wa or harmony, kei or respect, sei or cleanliness of soul and body and jaku or tranquility.

3. Cure the tea pot and the cups. You can cure the tea pot by placing loose tea in the pot and then adding hot water. Allow the tea to sit for a day or more if possible. To cure the cups, place tea that has been boiling for five minutes into a large bowl and then add the tea cups. Allow the cups to sit for a day.

4. Select a location for the tea ceremony. Typically, ceremonies take place in a room designated for tea called the Chashitsu. These rooms are in a tea house or in a garden. If you do not have such a room, select a quiet room in your home.

5. Decorate your room for the ceremony. While tea rooms are typically built in a certain pre-determined manner, it is acceptable to decorate a designated tea room to be warm and welcoming. You may want to use votives, flowers or kakemono (scrolls). Remember to keep it simple. Also include tatami mats (straw mats) for kneeling.

6. Prepare the tea room for the tea ceremony by bringing in the following items: stoneware tea set, stoneware jar or mizusashi, tana or wooden stand, namagashi or sweet appetizers, hachi or bowl in which you will serve your sweet appetizers, chaire or bowl to store powdered tea, kakemono or scroll painting, kama or kettle, furo or portable hearth, shifuju or fine silk pouch to cover the chaire and tatami mats for kneeling.

Conduct Ceremony

1. Invite guests to enter room. This is done using a gong during the day or a bell in the evening.

2. Allow your guests to purify their hands and mouths using fresh water that is in a stone basin or tsukubai. You can do this by standing at the entrance and showing the guests the stone basin. After guests have cleaned their hands guide them to their mat.

3. Depart from the room and then return with the chawan or tea bowl. In your tea bowl you should have the chasen (tea whisk) and the chakin (tea cloth). The chashaku (tea scoop) should rest across the top of the bowl. Serve your guests sweets, such as Namagashi.

4. Depart from the room again to retrieve the kensui (waste water bowl), the hishaku (bamboo water ladle) and the futaiki (green bamboo rest for kettle lid). When you return to the room with these items offer your guests some sweets.

5. Use the fukusa (fine silk cloth) to cleanse the tea container and scoop.

6. Ladle hot water into the tea bowl and then rinse the whisk. Once finished, empty the tea bowl and wipe it with the chakin (tea cloth).

7. Place three scoops of tea per guest in the tea bowl using the chaskaku. Be sure to lift both the scoop and tea container when doing this.

8. Ladle hot water from the kettle into the tea bowl. You should add enough water so that you create a thin paste with the whisk.

9. Whisk the paste into a thick liquid. Add additional water if necessary and then return unused water to the kettle using the ladle.

10. Pass the bowl to the main guest. The guest should bow when accepting the bowl and then the guest should rotate the bowl to admire it. Finally, the guest should drink some of the tea, clean the rim of the bowl and then pass the bowl to the next guest.

11. Receive the bowl after all guests have tasted the tea. Rinse the whisk and the tea scoop. Finally, clean the tea container and offer it to the guests to admire.

Tips & Warnings

• When conducting the tea ceremony, remember that the water represents the yin and the fire represents the yang.

Resources

• For more information on different tea ceremonies go to mitea.com.