A Story From a Non-Western Culture

Introduction

A common ritual in the Japanese culture, tea ceremonies involve the preparation, serving and consuming of green tea. The tea ceremony is known as either Chado or Chanoyu. Tea drinking practices was a traditional practice in China, but it is in Japan that it developed into a sophisticated method. It gained prominence during the Momoyama period. The preparation, serving and drinking of green tea as a ritual began in the Japanese Zen temples. Zen temples incorporated tea ceremonies as a means of cultivating the spirit and the mind. Over time, the routine was practiced by the Samurai and wealthy merchants among other social groups. Kleiner (110) documents how tea ceremonies were social events where warrior residencies could display their treasured collections of Chinese paintings, lacquer, and porcelain during the Muromachi period. When the tea ceremony practice was initially adopted, members of the Japanese community would hold tea ceremonies at a section of the house. As the celebrations gained popularity, freestanding teahouses became a common architectural feature in Japanese societies. Individuals who are recognized as tea masters have superior aesthetic sensibilities. Masters often train students on how to conduct a tea ceremony and also advise patrons on best practices. They also influence the designs incorporated into tea rooms, tea houses and tea utensils. Tea ceremonies were refined and cultivated during the Momoyama period. During the era, tea ceremonies had ideological and political implications. Kleiner (110) recounts the story of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who held a tea ceremony that took place over the course of ten days. Everyone was invited to the ceremony celebrating the return of warriors from a primary military mission. Another celebrated tea master of the Momoyama period was Sen No Rikyu who lived between 1522 and 1591. Sen no Rikyu played a significant role in developing the aesthetics that have become a central feature in the Japanese tea ceremony. He popularised the manner of entry into tea houses whereby individuals crawl on their knees and hands. "The tea house entry ritual fostered humility and created the unrealistic impression of no social rank in the tea house." (Kleiner 110). Once adopted into the Japanese culture, tea plays a central role in the devotional, social and medicinal practices of the Japanese society.

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Tea ceremonies became popular between the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Sen-no Rikyu, a Japanese tea master, played a critical role in transforming the formal tea drinking practice into a spiritual, communal and secular practice. His approach to tea ceremonies was rooted in Zen Buddhism. The story of Japanese tea ceremonies coincides with the introduction of Buddhism in Japan. Eisai Zenji, a Zen monk, brought tea seeds from China to Japan in 1191. As more and more Japanese people began drinking tea, they took part in different tea rituals that were later incorporated into the mainstream tea ceremony. To have an in-depth understanding of tea ceremonies, there is a need to understand Buddhist traditions and history.

Japan's Zen Buddhism corresponds with Chan Buddhism which is practiced in China. A pragmatic religion in nature, Buddhist teachings do not focus on human origin or the concept of deities. Unlike other religions, Buddhism focuses on people's path to enlightenment. Additionally, practitioners keenly observe everyday life. When Buddhism was first introduced to Japanese society, it complemented the traditions and beliefs that already existed. Its only exception was that it focused on a person's path to enlightenment rather than a deity's path to enlightenment. Over time, members of Japanese society adopted Buddhism and developed different types of Buddhism; one of them is Zen Buddhism.

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Zen Buddhism advocates on inner spiritual experiences. Practitioners of Zen Buddhism believe that every object, movement or action is of great importance. As such, it is this belief that informs the tea ceremony. Tea Master Sen no Rikyu encouraged his students and patrons to use tea items that were beautiful rather than things that were of a higher monetary value. "The new Wabi items that were rusticity refined was consistent with the concept Zen" (Kleiner 111). The aesthetic principle Wabi recommends simplicity and austerity while Sabi encourages individuals to find value in the weathered and old. It is associated with the tranquility of old age. The principle of Sabi and Wabi aesthetics influenced the nature of ceramic vessels that were manufactured for tea ceremonies. Kogan, for example, is a Shino jar that was created as a water vessel. Kogan is a Japanese word referring to the ancient stream banks (Kleiner 111). The jar's surface was rough with a coarse texture reminiscent of the earth's surface being cut by water. Shino ceramic vessels were manufactured between the 16th and 17th century in Kilns located in the Mino region. Apart from the ceramic vessels, the tea rooms contain tokonoma which displays flower arrangement, calligraphy scroll and in some instances an incense burner. Additionally, the floor is made up of tatami, and the building in its entirety incorporates Japanese traditional architectural design.

Sen no Rikyu's contributions to the Japanese tea ceremony turned tea rooms and tea houses into egalitarian spaces where social status did not matter. Along with other tea masters such as Tokano Joo and Murata Shuko, Rikyu played a critical role in the development of tea ceremony into a multi-media art form that incorporates ceramic art, calligraphy, tea houses, and tea gardens. Tea ceremonies are an essential aspect of Japanese cultural art and history. The Japanese tea ceremony story focus is founded on the universalistic practice of harmony, tranquility, purity, and respect. A highly, socially stratified community, the Japanese people incorporated Buddhist values in their everyday social life. As a result, they fostered positive interaction with one another. In today's world, the concept of tea ceremonies can be incorporated into human interaction. Tranquility, respect, purity, and harmony are basic ideas that can be understood by individuals from any economic, social or political background. Although tea ceremony is practice exclusive to Japanese society, people from around the world can adopt the method. Tea ceremonies have taken a political dimension over the years. Kleiner (110) documents the story of General Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga who incorporated tea ceremonies as a political tool of unifying Japan. In Japanese history, tea items have been awarded to victorious generals while tea rooms have been used as spaces where leaders liaise and hold negotiation talks. This Japanese tradition is an embodiment of Japanese formality and restraint. Additionally, it was a way to network and convey humility as well as power. Japanese tea parties are an example that nations and cultures across the world can develop a practice that fosters humility, tranquility, harmony and peaceful interaction.

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Along the pilgrimage route of Kumano Kodo, there is a little a little tea house. If there was a perfect spot on Earth, the place Momo's Chado stood would be it. The left windows left the sun rays in when the sun rises and the right window let the sun rays in when the sun sets. If you stand at the door of the tea house, turn to your right and take the beaten trail you will eventually come to the great Kumano Sanzan. The grand shrines that were ever built.

The little tea house belongs to Momo, a beautiful woman with grey silk hair that ran down her when she titled her head in any direction. In the morning sun, its head glittered like there were one thousand tiny snowflakes resting on her hair. Momo lived with her husband Takehiko. Once, a boy in the village we camped on our first trip to Kumano Sanzan told me Takehiko was Sen no Rikyu's descendant. That his great-grandmother was Rikyu's daughter. When I questioned the validity of the information, he stood up, stumped his left foot on the ground and shouted "I am not lying! My grandmother said it and she does not lie!"

This is my third trip to Kumano Sanzan. We will spend the afternoon with Momo and Takehiko in their little tea house. With a little voice, she will ask about our trip. We will smile and say "it has been great" as we bite into the sweets she will serve us and take a sip of the bitter green tea. I am certain of the first few minutes we will spend with the elderly couple. As soon as she catches a glimpse of us walk up the hill, she will prepare her lacquered storage tin, where she keeps her green tea powder; the ceramic bowls that will hold our tea, the bamboo whisk and her old Kogan jar she got as a wedding gift from her grandmother. As soon as we get to her doorstep, she will walk outside and necessities will be exchanged. She will invite us in and we will accept its pure shame if we take her generosity and kindness for granted. Thereafter, we will remove our shoes and get down to our knees. We will crawl on all our fours to the center of the tea house. The routine, the movement and the sequence of events never change.

"You have become a big boy Hayato!" She said while placing her tea bowl on the tatami floor.

"Yes, madam!"

"Good. Have some more sweets dear"

"Yes, Momo"

The Tokonoma displaying floor arrangements and calligraphy scrolls caught my eye. As I took one more bite at the piece of sweet I held in my hand, I could not help but stare at it. It was beautiful.

"Have you always had this Tokonoma?" I asked

"Yes. It is an aesthetic essential to the Japanese tea ceremony" Tahehiko responded. One question is an invitation to have Momo and Tahehiko open up and share their knowledge on history, nature and culture. Tahehiko rarely speaks but there are instances when he does and a conversation on Japanese culture is one of them.

"Have I told you what items they crammed on the cargo boat from China?" He began

There was a Buddhist priest named Eisai Zenji. On his way back from China he brought with him a few tea seeds, calligraphy, Kanji and the tea ceremony.

Works Cited

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives. 13th Edition., Boston. Clark Baxter, 2010.