Japanese tea ceremony harmony, respect, calmness and neatness

The relationship of the Asian world with the tea dates from antiquity. The traces of its celebration through the centuries could be found in the poetry dedicated to it. But the real apogee of the Japanese tea ceremony was in the 16th century. Special schools were founded that exist to the present day.

It is a male custom and from the 20th c the ceremony started to be practiced by women. The etiquette courses for young girls were replaced by tea courses in the prestigious tea schools.

For the Japanese people this complex usage of long tradition is a sign of mastering the art of savoir-vivre. The host or the lady of the house prepares tea before the guests (four or five people) as an actor performs on the stage for the audience. All gestures – from the handling of the tea set, the sitting posture and the way of holding the cup, and even the moment when silence is broken and the conversations begin – everything is codified. Despite this strict protocol, the free initiative in the decoration of the room and the selection of the tea set, which is very important, is highly assessed.

The ceremony takes place in a specially built tea-room decorated in line with the season, month and day. If for example fresh flowers decoration was selected, there should be no floral motifs on the paintings displayed for the occasion. The ceremony lasts for four hours, during which the host shows his qualities – skillfulness, culinary savoir-faire, broad general knowledge, from botanical knowledge to the history of textile, and of course a high aestheticism. We should not forget that everything is carried out following the four basic principles of this art of reception, cult of hospitality: harmony, respect, calmness and neatness.

In his famous “Book of the Tea”, Kokutso Okakura qualifies this ritual as a symbol of the real democratic spirit of the Far East in the sense that each of its participants can become a real aristocrat in taste.
If during your next visit to Japan you are invited to a tea ceremony, prepare to be immersed in an atmosphere beyond time and watch out for the beauty of the gestures and details, so you can appreciate this wonderful show dedicated to you!

Eva Kuvandjieva Napoleone
Graduate of the Villa Pierrefeu Institute in Switzerland