Decorative Arts of Asia

Amber FrederickArt 262

Survey of Asian Art11/7/14

Professor Fred Sigman

Ceramics in Japanese Tea Ceremony

•Outline of PowerPointBrief history of Tea Ceremony in JapanTypes of Tea CeremoniesDescription of the roomFloorHanging ScrollUtensils usedEtiquette

PreparationsProceduresSteps

Common words/expressions used during ceremony

Brief history of Tea Ceremony

Tea ceremony started in China

In Japan, initially, tea was used only by priest and noblemen as medicine

Nobles often held extravagant tea parties.

Myoan Eisai, (a Japanese priest who studied the Chinese philosophy and religion) was the first to cultivate tea for religious purposes.

Later on, tea became a part of small gatherings.

Designer, Murata Shukou, became known as the “father of the tea ceremony” because the etiquette and the spirit of tea were originated by him.

Iemoto is a school system of traditional arts started by the Sen family.

Brief history of Tea Ceremony cont’d

Tea ceremony is a "highly elaborate synthetic art” that includes:

Fine art

Arts and crafts

Pottery

Japanese paintings

Calligraphy

Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement)

Tea room architecture

Garden design

Kaiseki (Japanese full course meal)

Traditional confectionery

Brief history of Tea Ceremony cont’d

Tea ceremony is “an interlude in which one leads oneself for the moment to the spirit of beauty, quietude, and politeness toward others.”

Based on four principles:

Wa –harmony with people and nature

Kae –respect in a harmonious relationship with other people and objects

Sae –purity by cleansing yourself through the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste

Jubuo –Tranquility through stillness and silence

Types of Tea Ceremonies

Akatsuki-no-chaji

Dawn tea ceremony in winter

Yuuzari-no-chaji

Early-evening tea ceremony

during warmer months

Asa-cha

Early-morning summer tea ceremony

Shoburo

First use of portable brazier in the year (May)

Shougo-no-chaji

Midday tea ceremony

Kuchikiri-no=chaji

Celebrating the breaking of the seal on a jar of a new tea (November)

Nagori-no-chaji

Honors the last remains of the year’s supply of tea (October)

Yobanashi

Winter-evening tea ceremony

Hatsugama

Boiling the first kettle tea ceremony

Layout of the room

• Mizuya (preparation section of the room used by the host)

• Host Mat

• Tokonoma (alcove)

• Hearth

• Heart Mat

• Guest Mat

• Entrance Mat

Floors

• Covered with Tatami mat

• Varies in thickness and size

• Color fabrics along the edges indicate the rank of the household (earlier centuries)

An authentic Tatami mat consist of three parts:1. Tatami Omote (Reed covering)2. Tatami Goto (Straw core)3. Tatami Beri (Decorative cloth edge = brocade)

Tatami Omote

• Made of soft reed

▫ each reed contains 4,000 -5,000 rushes

• High quality long grass is dyed with natural Japanese clay to enhance even color tone. The color turns to a golden-yellow as it ages.

• Hemp/cotton string used to weave the Omote together

Tatami Goto

• Made from 40cm of straw that is crushed down to five centimeters

• Rice straw core is heated in a kiln to 90º Celsius

• Measured and compressed to two inches

• Yarns is used to tightly stitch together to provide durability and level

Tatami Beri

The decorative cloth edging of the mat = Brocade

Hanging scrolls

• Walls contain:

▫ a Kakemono scrolls, (a scroll painting or calligraphy mounted with brocade fabric edges),

▫ a Tatejiku,(standing scroll), where the hanging scroll’s width is shorter than the height.

▫ There are two types:

Calligraphy design

Painting design

Tatejiku Calligraphy Designs

Tatejiku Painting Designs

Utensils

• Tea equipment is called dǒgu(tools) and is mostly made of ceramic.

• It generally includes the following:

▫ Chabako- a box containing a set of tea utensils

used when a tea ceremony takes place at a location that is different from the teacher’s home.

▫ Chaki – made of bamboo or ceramic

Bamboo (natsume) is used to make thin tea

Ceramic (chaire) is used to make a thick tea (Matcha, a powered green tea)

Utensils

▫ Daisu –a large, portable, double-shelved display stand

▫ Lower shelf contains:

▫ portable burner (furo)

▫ ladle stand (shakutate)

▫ waste water jar (kensui)

▫ water jug (mizusashi)

▫ Dora –a copper gong used to summon guests to return to the Chashitsu (tea house)

▫ Hachi –Bowl for sweets or food

▫ Sweets are usually eaten before drinking green tea

Utensils

▫ Hai –Ash from the bed of the portable brazier

▫ Ash is sculpted into elegant forms so that it can be admired as part of the tea ceremony

▫ Hana-ire – a flower vase for a Chabana. It’s hung or placed at the base of a Tokonoma (a built-in recessed space) and is often made of bamboo

Utensils

• Kaishi –Japanese style mini napkin used to wipe the rim of the Chawan after drinking Koicha (thick tea)

• Kan –iron or brass rings used to lift and move the Kama (kettle or metal pot)

• Kouboku –is an aromatic wood used to place together with Sumi (charcoal) to create a soothing fragrance in the Chashitsu

Utensils

• Kuromoji –are natural wooden chopsticks used to transfer Wagashi sweets to a Kaishi paper.

• Neriko – is a blended incense used during the winter season to prepare hot water in the Ro

• Ro – a fire pit in a sunken hearth

Utensils

• Tana – a less formal utensil stand used to display and bring individual utensil to the guests’ attention

• Tenmoku –a tea bowl with a narrow foot

• Tenmoku-dai – a stand for the tenmoku bowl

• Tenugui –a rectangular cotton hand towel

Etiquette

• Average meeting has five guests

▫ First guest (guest of honor) is called Shokyaku

is the only person that speaks to the Teishu during the Tea Ceremony

▫ Second guest is called Jikyaku

▫ Other guest are called Kyaku

▫ Last guest is Tsume

▫ Everyone has a special ranking, sitting order, andhave fixed duties to perform during the Tea Ceremony

Etiquette

• Receiving and eating Wagashi

▫ You need to wait for Teishu to warm the Chawan with hot water and discard the waste water into the Kensui before you can eat the Wagashi

• Drinking Koicha involves:

▫ Picking up the Chawan

Etiquette

▫ Apologies and Bows

▫ Being ready to drink

Etiquette

▫ Wiping the rim

▫ Usucha (thin tea)

Tea preparation is simple but

it is performed through fixed

movements where utensils are

placed at predetermined

locations

Preparations

There are two preparation styles:

Ro during the winter

Furo during the summer

Procedures

• Main differences between preparing tea:

▫ In summer –Kama is placed on a brazier

▫ In winter –Kama is placed in the Ro

▫ Utensils used are placed at slightly different locations

▫ Conclusion of the tea ceremony is different due to the placement of the utensils

Steps

• Generally, the steps to preparing the tea ceremony include the following:

▫ Invite guest, clean, prepare teahouse

▫ Opening the door

▫ Presenting the sweets

▫ Bringing in tea utensils

▫ Greeting and clothes

▫ Cleaning the Natsume

▫ Cleaning the Chashaku

▫ Remove Futa from the Kama

▫ Cleaning the Chasen

Steps

▫ Warming the Chawan

▫ Scoop Matcha into the Chawan

▫ Remove lit from Mitzusashi

▫ Scoop hot water into Chawan

▫ Whisk Matcha and Oyu

▫ Serving green-tea to guests

▫ Dialog with Shokyaku

▫ Cleaning the Chawan

▫ Continue making tea • Conclusion of the tea ceremony is based on summer or winter procedures

Common words/expressions used during the tea ceremony

• The Tea Ceremony is spoken in Japanese. Below are a few common words and expressions used:

Aisatsu –greeting

Chabana –a type of flower displayed in the alcove

Chakai –tea gathering

Chashitsu –tea room

Haiken –viewing of objects

Iemoto –founder of a certain school

Kaiseki –tea ceremony meal

Kashi – the sweets served before tea

Koicha –thick tea

Oyu –hot water

Usucha –thin tea

Common words/expressions used during the tea ceremony

Okashi wo dzo

Please have some sweets

Ippuku sashi agemasu

I would like serve you a bowl of tea

Oshitsurei itashimashita

Please excuse me

Host’s expressions

Common words/expressions used during the tea ceremony

Guest expressions

Otemae chodai itashimasu

Thank you for making the tea

Osakini shitsureishimasu

Pardon me for going ahead of you

Ikochira wa juubun itadakimashita

We have had enough

References

Chaki. (n.d.). digplanet.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from digplanet.com website:

http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Chaki

History. (n.d.). explorejapaneseceramics.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from

explorejapaneseceramics.com website:

http://www.explorejapaneseceramics.com/basic/general/history.html

Japanese Art of Tea Ceremony . (n.d.). www.asia-art.net. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from www.asia-

art.net website: http://www.asia-art.net/japanese_tea.html

Mingei Arts . (n.d.). mingeiarts.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from mingeiarts.com website:

http://mingeiarts.com/discover/know-the-difference-between-japanese-chinese-korean-artifacts/

Quick History: Tatami Mats . (n.d.). apartmenttherapy.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014 from

apartmenttherapy.com website: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/quick-history-tatami-matsretro-

154420

References

Tatami . (n.d.). wikipedia.org. Retrieved December 3, 2014 from wikipedia.org website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami

TatamiMatInformationGuide . (n.d.). chopa.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from chopa.com website:

http://www.chopa.com/ShopSite/tatami-mat-information.html

The Japanese Tea Ceremony . (n.d.). teavana.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from teavana.com website:

http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/japanese-tea-ceremony

The Japanese Tea Ceremony . (n.d.). japanese-tea-ceremony.net. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from

japanese-tea-ceremony.net website: http://japanese-tea-ceremony.net/

The Urasenke Foundation . (n.d.). urasenke.org. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from urasenke.org website:

http://www.urasenke.org/characters/

Yunomi-Tea Cups . (n.d.). e-yakimono.net. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from e-yakimono.net website:

http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/yunomi-jt.html