April 9, 2003
Tea full of Far East flavor
Japanese Tea Ceremony held Saturday at Dennos Museum
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
A simple vase with a flower, exquisite tea bowls, vibrant kimonos and a tea scoop named Spring Snow.
These items and more were part of a 25-minute formal tea ceremony held Saturday afternoon at the Dennos Museum. The Japanese Tea Ceremony was part of the Museum's ongoing "Tradition and Transformation: The Art of Japan" exhibit, which will be at the museum through June 22.
Yoko and Yasuo Watanabe of Novi, Mich. presented the Tea Ceremony to an eager audience of more than 130 people. Yasuo Watanabe first outlined the history of the tea ceremony in Japan, which for thousands of years had been the domain of men. Buddhist monks originally brought tea to Japan as part of their Zen practice, with elaborate rituals for preparing and drinking it.
"Tea helped the monks because they would sit for hours on end and would fall asleep, so the caffeine in tea had a very practical use," Watanabe said. "Also, the monks wholeheartedly devoted themselves to a single act, whether washing the floor, cleaning the toilet or rising the rice. By devoting themselves wholeheartedly to one act, that was the enlightenment."
When Japan was opened to the Western world in the late 1800s, the rulers transformed the tea ceremony into the domain of women. They believed it was a useful tool to teach the women of the future how to behave. Different schools of tea ceremonies began and formal standards of behavior evolved for both public and private ceremonies.
Watanabe outlined the four goals of the tea ceremony, goals which stretched back to its Zen roots: harmony, reverence, purity and tranquillity. Public ceremonies are sponsored by companies or a civic organization and usually feature a dozen different schools of tea ceremonies.
He also described the elaborate, lengthy process of a four-hour private tea ceremony, including building the fire, a four-course meal, a break and then preparation and consumption of the thick tea. Thick tea is three times stronger than normal tea. Everyone shares a bowl of tea.
After that, guests take another break and then return to the room for thin tea, or tea that is a third the thickness of thick tea. During this part of the ceremony, each guest has his own bowl.
"During the height of the tea ceremony, nobody talks, it is very strictly rule bound," he said.
The demonstration at the Dennos Museum concentrated on the last part of the tea ceremony, or the thin tea part. Watanabe described how the ceremony included two guests, one primary and one secondary. They enter the tea house, which was built for the exhibit in the museum's Sculpture Garden, one at a time, removing their sandals at the door.
The hostess is not yet present, so the guests examine the beautiful objects she has set out for their enjoyment. Then the hostess enters, welcomes the guests and introduces them to the objects. The conversation is brief and formal, limited to approved topics such as the weather and commenting on the artwork.
The hostess presents guests with a tray of sweets and then brings in the necessary tea wares. The hostess makes one cup of tea at a time, ceremoniously cleaning each object, dipping hot water into a bowl, whisking the tea and then putting it into a guest bowl.
"The guest holds the bowl high to show appreciation," Watanabe said. "She turns the bowl out of humbleness, not drinking on the side that has the design. She takes a sip and says 'marvelous,' then sips and sips. She comments on the bowl."
This process is then repeated with the second guest.
Watanabe noted that each tea ceremony has a theme chosen by the hostess. Every object, from the artwork, flowers, vases and tea bowls, reflect that theme.
"Usually the theme is a coming seasonal ceremony or reflecting the fact that you are living in harmony with nature," he said.