Chado - The Way of Tea

The “Way of Tea,” or Chanoyu (the ceremonial preparation of matcha) or Chado in Japanese is about the ritual of making and serving tea. Camellia sinensis, from which tea is derived is not native to Japan but was introduced from China during the early Heian period (794 – 1185). During the Nara Period (710 – 784), tea began to be cultivated around temples in Japan. Seeds of camellia sinensis were most likely brought to Japan by scholar-priests such as Saicho (767-822) or Kukai (774 – 835) who were dispatched as envoys to the T’ang dynasty. At this time tea was considered as a medicinal. The serving of tea began in the 9^th century when Eichu served Sencha to Emperor Sage in Karasaki in 815. Ruijyu Kokushi compiled by Sugawara Michizane (845 – 903) and Nihon Koki, a segment of Rikkokushi (Six National Histories), record the first account of tea drinking in the sixth year of Konin (815). Prepared in the same manner as dancha, the T’ang tradition, tea was first beaten then formed into firm balls, which were then shaved into powder and infused in water. This form was most likely restricted to the nobility and the priesthood.

Kamakura Period (1185 – 1392) the priest Eisai (1141 – 1215) reintroduced the seed into Japan along with the teachings of Rinzai Zen Buddhism to Japan. In 1191 upon returning from China, Eisai introduced the style of tea preparation called "tencha" (点茶^?), in which powdered matcha was placed into a bowl, hot water added, and the tea and hot water whipped together. It was during this period that Kissa yojoki (A Record of Tea Drinking and the Maintenance of Health) was written and promoted by Sanetomo. The drinking of tea with fine implements had long been adopted in China, Eisai introduced this Sung method of preparation where plucked leaves were made into a powder which was whisked with hot water in a bowl. This form of powdered green tea was first used in religious rituals in Buddhist monasteries.

By the 13th century, when the Kamakura Shogunate ruled the nation and tea and the luxuries associated with it became a kind of status symbol among the warrior class, there arose tea-tasting (ja:闘茶, tōcha^?) parties wherein contestants could win extravagant prizes for guessing the best quality tea—that grown in Kyoto, deriving from the seeds that Eisai brought from China. Tocha consisted of classifying varieties of tea by region. These changes to tea saw it become an amusement for the moneyed classes. Nambokucho (1336 – 1392) and Muromachi (1336 to 1573) periods the nature of tea drinking changed radically in the hands of the privileged classes. 1336 tea gatherings were forbidden by the Ashikaga shogunate. In 1343 Tocha regained popularity.  During the early Muromachi period tea drinking spread to the warrior society then to the general population. Warrior dressed in fine brocades and diverted themselves with tea contests. These tea tournaments were added to gatherings, becoming a form of polite accomplishment in the Nambokucho period, known as tocha.

During the mid-Muromachi period, Shuko saw tea gatherings decline until the reign of the eighth showgun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436 – 1490) who saw the shaping of the Higashiyama culture and the building of the Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion). Yoshimasa constructed the Dojinsai, perhaps the original model for the four-and-a-half mat tearoom, this dimension and form of tearoom remains till today. Tea became so popular that street merchants were selling it, but, their manner of making tea was simpler than Yoshimasa. Yoshimasa’s dobashu, men of art and culture were Noami (1397 – 1471), his son Geiami (1431 – 1485), and grandson Soami (d. 1525) who were consider the most cultured men of their times. Within the dojinsai, Yoshimasa studied a form of tea under the guidance of Noami, and later through Noami introduced Murata Shuko to tea. Shuko is credited with developing the style of tea similar to the one known today, including the placing of the tea in an ideological setting.

At the close of the Onin War, during the Sengoku jidai, Shuko’s soan cha was still practiced in the Osaka prefecture. Under the wealthy tanning merchant, Takeno Jo-o (1502 – 1555) the elements of wabi cha were refined and distilled. Wabi is a reference to honesty, prudence, and self-restraint, both emotional and material. His tea room, Daikokuan, was constructed in the same manner as Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s Dojinsai, but, had the simple, austere atmosphere of a farmer’s dwelling.

Chanoyu was studied avidly by merchants of Sakai, among them was Sen no Rikyu (1521 – 1591). Born Tanaka Yoshiro in Daiei in the Imaichi district, Rikyu was first taught the Noami’s style of tea by Kitamuki Dochin (1504 – 1562). At the age of nineteen, he became the student of Jo-o. As a result he united the Noami and wabi-soan style of Shuko and Jo-o, bringing to completion of the foundation of the way of tea. Rikyū had a preference for simple, rustic items made in Japan, rather than the expensive Chinese-made items that were fashionable at the time. Though not the inventor of the philosophy of wabi-sabi, Wabi refers to the spiritual/inner experience of human life (quiet or sober refinement), and asymmetry. Sabi represents the material world (worn, weathered, and decayed) for the nobles this emptiness was most effective route to spiritual awakening, embracing imperfection and a healthy reminder to embrace our unpolished selves. Rikyū is among those most responsible for popularizing it, developing it, and incorporating it into tea ceremony. He created a new form of tea ceremony using very simple instruments and surroundings. This and his other beliefs and teachings came to be known as sōan-cha (the grass-thatched hermitage style of chanoyu), or more generally, wabi-cha. Rikyu entered into the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 – 1598), who valued his skill that none other could bring a request to Hideyoshi’s ear. Rikyu introduced the concept of ichi-go-ichi-e each meeting should be treasured; for it can never be reproduced. Other principles introduced by Rikyu are harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. Due to Rikyu and other Sakai tea masters, any member of the warrior elite not versed in chanoyu was considered to lack the badge of a man.