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Edutainment > Articles on Art > Japanese Culture > Japanese Tea Ceremony

Tea Ceremony at 9 AM
by Kunichika Toyohara 1835-1900
copyright protected

The cult of the tea ceremony had spread from China to Japan as early as in the eight century. It became popular in the late sixteenth century, when during the Momoyama period a refined way of manners and customs developed among the aristocratic and samurai classes.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony as a Choreographic Ritual

The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or sado in Japanese and the bitter tea served is called matcha. It is basically a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving tea together with some sweets. Each movement is predefined. The whole process is not about drinking tea, it is about aesthetics.

The proper performance requires a long training and the use of certain tools like Chasen, a bamboo brush.

The Impact on Arts and Crafts

Tea Ceremony Room of the Light
by Hideaki Kato born 1954
copyright Hideaki Kato

Being regarded as an art form of its own, the Japan tea ceremony had a solid impact on other forms of arts and crafts. It promoted the development of Japanese porcelain manufacturing.

Sen no Rikyu

The great master of the Japan tea ceremony was Sen no Rikyu who lived from 1522 to 1591. Since then the art of sado was handed down from generation to generation and is cherished in different schools, which exist up to our times. Each school has slightly different choreographic forms. The main schools are Ura, Omote, and Mushakoji.

In today's modern Japan the opinions about the tea ceremony are different. Most Japanese regard it as part of their cultural heritage. The interest to learn chanoyu as a hobby, is large. But there are also many young Japanese who regard chanoyu as simply boring.

Japanese Tea Ceremony and Ukiyo-e

Japanese tea ceremony is a frequent subject on Japanese prints ( ukiyo-e). Here are a few beautiful examples.

Tea Ceremony (Tosei Furyu Tsu)
by Shuntei Miyagawa 1873-1914
copyright protected

Afternoon Light
by Yuichiro Kato born 1926
copyright Yuichiro Kato

Shizuka na Seki (Quiet Seat)
by Hideaki Kato born 1954
copyright Hideaki Kato

Tea Ceremony
by Shiro Kasamatsu 1898-1992
copyright Shiro Kasamatsu

Zensei Azuma Fukei
by Sencho Kikugawa fl. ca. 1830s-50s
copyright protected

True Beauty - Tea Ceremony
by Chikanobu Toyohara 1838-1912
copyright protected

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Japanese Culture