 Introduction
to Tea
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The Way of Tea, or as it is more familiarly called, the "Tea Ceremony,"
has a long history in Japan. The art of drinking tea began in China, and
from there came to Japan in 729.
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At the dedication of the Roshana statue in Todaiji (749), the Emperor
Shomu had tea served to 100 priests. According to tradition, Buddha, who
left India and introduced Buddhism to China in 520 A.D., encouraged the
practice of drinking tea, to keep alert during meditation.
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In Japan, tea was used in temple ceremonies. These rites were very strict
and formal. Their origins were traced to the Buddhist temples of the T'ang
Dynasty (618-907), in China.
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It might interest you to know what utensils they used in those days.
The tea implements were: a brazier with a wood fire; a kettle; a water
jar; a waste-water bowl; a vaselike stand for a bamboo tea ladle and a
pair of tongs; and a cylinder for the kettle lid to rest on. There was
a base board, symbolic of earth (ji-ita), supporting an upper shelf, symbolic
of heaven (ten-ita). The tea bowl was placed on the upper shelf.
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Would you like to hear what the original tea ceremony, as practiced
in China, was like? Tea was made by aging, ferment- ing, and being pressed
into the shape of bricks. The bricks were shaved with a knife, and the
shavings ground into a powder. This powder was put into hot water in the
kettle, and served by ladling it into ceramic drinking bowls. The bowls
(tenmoku) were cone-shaped, glazed, and decorated. Each bowl was placed
on a stand (dai). Then, the tea was taken and drunk in a highly formal
manner. This is very similar to our Way of Tea.
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