so last friday i got to go to a tea ceremony (that's what it says at the top, by the way) and it was one of the many things i wanted to do before i came to japan. i was extremely excited. the entire process of the tea ceremony is to be stiff and know all the rules of formality. why does this sound exciting? i know this kind of stuff isn't for everyone, but as loud and obnoxious and crazy as i am, i love the formal stuff. i can't get enough of being all dressed up, doing the high class stuff, and just calming down. in sadou it's all about nature and the sounds. the sounds in sadou are horribly important.
for instance, the sound of boiling water is very soothing and an essential part of the process. there are many steps in making the tea and it takes decades to be considered a master of the tea. it's rare to see a male tea master as it is more of a woman's "place" to do something like this.
when we went, we found out that it's an extremely historical site of a battle that took place in nagoya over 400 years ago back when tokugawa was taking over japan. we even got to visit the place where he planned out military strategies, but more on that later.
after going inside we were split up into groups. group one would make the tea, group two would go to drink from a master, and group three would drink the tea made by group one. i started in group one. making the tea is hard because no matter what i did, i was wrong, but i've come to accept that no matter what i do in japan...i'll always be wrong (because i'm a foreigner [but that's ok because i get away with a lot for the same reason]). luckily my teacher was really nice to me.
so i had to sit in the traditional style and first wash the bowl. these bowls are over 100 years old and handmade and can't be replaced. i didn't wanna hold this bowl for very long or else bad things would happen. cleaning the bowl is special. you have to first dip the wooden ladle into the boiling bowl before you, move your hand back to you, pour it into the bowl, wait until the last drop falls, move your hand back to you, put the ladle back on the boiling bowl VERY carefully (almost like it's too heavy for you), and then swirl the water very slowly around the bowl. you then pour the rest of the water into a side bowl. then you pull out your towel (my teacher had one for me), and carefully clean it by spinning the bowel clockwise in your hand.
you then put the green powder that is the tea into the bowl. apparently it's really important that you lightly hit the bowel once with the spoon after it's hit since sound is really crucial here. you then finally pour the water in (i'm skipping steps for time sake) and stir it making sure it gets a lot of bubbles (more important sound things here). the most important step is to spin the bowel around in your hand three times clockwise so that the design is facing out to the drinkers.
after i was done, i was shooed outside where i met a lady from the culture festival i had met a few weeks prior. she surprised me by speaking all english and saying, "yup, i knew english, but i wanted to see if you knew japanese" and laughed. i then got to take some pictures of the area around, but they'll be at the end like always.
me and the group was then taken into the small house in the back where the master was. she prepared us a tea and we were told how to drink the tea which was it's own ritual on its own. we were first given soft candy that changes with each season. it was so good. the lady with us spoke really good english and explained certain historical facts about sadou, such as tokugawa loved the art of tea ceremonies which was why it became so big in the first place and why it made so much sense to have a tea ceremony house on a battle field where he once was. in any case, after the tea (that was SO good), i was taken back to the room where i made the tea and given tea made by someone else.
to drink the tea is where the formality comes from. the candy comes your way and you have to pick the plate up, holding it slightly above your face, bow to the tea master, and say...something. i forgot that part cuz i did it wrong anyways. then you put it back down, take one, put it on your napkin in front of you, then take another. you then slide it to the person next to you. after you eat the candy, the tea is ready. you take the bowl and place it directly your knees, making SURE that you turn the bowl around in your hand clockwise three times so that the design is now facing out (since before it was facing you). that's when you bow to the master and say, "ちょうだいしつれします。" (please excuse for drinking before you). you then turn to the person next to you and give a small bow saying, "おさきにちょうだいしつれします。" (meaning the same thing, but of a higher level of politeness). then you drink (after saying "いただきます" of course). you're not supposed to chug or move your head a lot when drinking. when done you use your index finger and thumb to go across the bowl where your mouth was. you do it once forward and then again backwards. you then wipe your fingers on the edge of your napkin. VERY IMPORTANT is you turn the bowl back around in your hand counter clockwise so that the design is facing you again. you place is down on the tatami mat and look at the design once on the right, once on the left, again on the right, and once more on the left. you then thank the master.
that's all just to drink the damn thing that takes about three or four sips to finish off. but it's so much fun and i enjoyed it immensely! now onto the pictures! (don't forget to click on them to enlarge them!)
the changing leaves are so beautiful
SOUND IS IMPORTANT
this nice japanese lady took my camera while i was drinking the tea to take tons of photos during the ceremony
decoration in the tatami room
CANDY
i asked (in japanese) if i could take her picture. she had such a pretty kimono!
all of the lovely ladies that were at the house. they've been doing it all together for 15 years
a flower picked fresh from the garden that day
the entire tea set
the sky was so beautiful...
looking out across the land. there was a terrible battle here that killed over 3,000 japanese men
the thin stone that's standing up is where tokugawa sat and drew out military maps
the man himself. an engraving near the house depicting the battle.unfortunately, there isn't anything planned for a few weeks as it's almost finals time (4 more weeks of school) and i'm mainly going to be going christmas shopping, but i'll have a few status updates and my lovely engrish shirt updates! thursday we're celebrating thanksgiving here at the dorms and i'll update a small bit about it, but pictures will mainly be on my facebook. (there will also be more pictures from the tea ceremony on facebook as well). also, i saw my host family again and i might be seeing them over new years. i'll be sure to have information then!
until then, stay warm!
~星子☆
