The fine art of Japanese tea

The making and taking of tea has rich cultural significance in Japan.

Its beauty was demonstrated in a traditional tea ceremony hosted by Suguru Minoya, the Consul-General of Japan, who was recently invited to the School of Humanities to show off his skills.

Currently based in Auckland, Minoya has been a global advocate for the tea ceremony (chanoyu), which he has practised for more than 35 years.

He was also joined by Masae Ito, chair of the Wellington Sakai Association, who flew up from Wellington especially for the event.

Minoya's specific training is in the omotesenke tradition, one of three historic Japanese tea ceremony schools based in Kyoto from the 1500s.

For this event, he  demonstrated a ceremony in the ryūrei style. Dating back to 1872, it was specifically designed to use chairs and tables to accommodate foreign dignitaries in Japan during the Meiji era, who weren’t comfortable sitting on the floor.

It also marked the change in location from an intimate tea room to a more public space.

Participants also tasted ichigo daifuku (rice dumplings prepared with red bean paste and strawberries) and learned how to prepare usucha, a lighter style of matcha (a type of green tea) prepared with a bamboo whisk.

Tea came to Japan from China, says Minoya, with one important written record dating back to 815 CE.

“A Buddhist monk named Eichu served tea to Emperor Saga, which shows tea was already known in Japan by the early ninth century.”
 

Later, in the late twelfth century, the monk Eisai (also called Yosai) returned from Song Dynasty China and helped introduce a powdered-tea tradition.

“Tea culture developed through these journeys and exchanges, rather than arriving as the complete ceremony we see today.”

Before its role in hospitality, tea had a practical use in Buddhist life, he says.

“Monks could drink it to help them stay awake during long periods of meditation. Today, we know tea contains caffeine, which can increase alertness.”

Over time, sharing tea developed into a cultural activity with its own spaces, utensils and manners.

Japanese tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522 to 1591), helped establish the foundations of the ceremony practised today, inspired by the concept of wabi, an idea of ‘quiet simplicity’.

“A modest room or an ordinary-looking bowl can hold great beauty. The host prepares carefully, and the guest responds with appreciation.”

Attendees learned that the traditional ceremony involves the tea master and their guest experiencing a moment of understanding through the drinking of tea.

And preparation is all important. The tea master provides as thorough a welcome as possible, preparing sweets as well and decorating the tea room with flowers and artwork in the form of a hanging scroll.

The placement of utensils and the movements of the host also change with the seasons.
 

The School of Humanities event was open to anyone interested, but particularly students of Japanese language and culture, and hosted by teaching staff in Japanese.

Associate Professor Ellen Nakamura, who chaired the event, was delighted to have Mr Minoya offer his expertise to students and staff.

“It was extremely generous of Mr Minoya and staff from the Consulate General’s office to find time in their busy schedules to teach us about the practice of the Japanese tea ceremony.

"It was lovely to see the staff room transformed into a tea space and to share a quiet moment together in appreciation of Japanese tea."

“In a traditional tea hut, guests might enter through a small door that obliged them to get down on their hands and knees to crawl through. This symbolically removed a person’s social status and distanced them from the everyday world for the duration of their participation in the ceremony.

“For our event, it was wonderful that staff and students, and even our Acting Dean, Associate Professor Kathy Smits, could join in. We hope this event might inspire others to learn more about Japanese culture.”