Probably, there is someone who does not drink tea, but I have not met such people. I also love tea. True, I usually drink flavored sachets – and most often at home in front of the computer.
This, of course, is not a tea ceremony at all! There are other associations: medieval Japan, kimonos, earthenware cups, a tea house… And most importantly, a state of peace close to enlightenment.
Is it possible to reach this house? Here is the question that has been on my mind. The almost three-month quarantine forced many to look for an activity that brings peace to the soul, even if information storms are raging around. Yes, and for the future it would be nice to have something of this kind in reserve.
With a request to become my guide in this topic, I turned to Lyubov Guskova, who has been interested in the culture of Japan for more than 30 years. First, she was fascinated by ancient literature and especially poetry, then traditional embroidery on temari balls.
She is also one of the few Muscovites who knows how to properly put on a real Japanese kimono, tying all the necessary knots.
“I began to study the tea ceremony just in case,” says Lyubov Guskova, “so as not to lose face if I am invited to a Japanese house. And it got stuck. But I’m still learning, I’m far from perfection … “
How subtle!
There are many nuances in the ceremony, known only to the initiates. Today, matcha green tea, also known as “matcha”, is becoming more and more popular, it is sold in the form of a ready-made powder. However, “real ceremonial tea is ground by hand,” says Lyubov Guskova, who studies tea traditions, “and then it is whipped to a thick foam.” And each tea school has its own way of doing it. A special bamboo whisk “chasen” is used. It is pre-soaked in hot water. Each item for the ceremony has its own purpose and its own history.
By all means
The Japanese tea ceremony is a complex ritual in which every detail is important and every movement is verified. “Even the way you untie the ribbons of a bag for a tea caddy or a vessel for storing tea matters,” explains Lyubov Guskova.
Tea-related customs are not only found in Japan. Many of us from childhood remember Alice in Wonderland and the Crazy Tea Party with the Hatter and his friends, during which it was always 17:00. English fife-o-clock (“five o’clock”) also has its own etiquette: the table is covered with a plain tablecloth and with matching napkins.
The traditional service includes about twenty-five items (including sugar tongs and a vase with fresh flowers). All of them are performed in bright colors without unnecessary decorations, so as not to distract from the process: participants slowly enjoy a drink and a conversation.
They are offered a choice of five to ten varieties of tea and snacks. And not only sweets, but also sandwiches. Not to be confused with sandwiches! Sandwiches are small, one bite.
In England, tea drinking was at first a custom of the aristocracy, but later spread to all classes. It requires some knowledge, but no special training. If desired, it is quite possible to arrange it at home with friends.
But for the Japanese ceremony, “a lot of special attributes are required, and these are expensive things, since they are made by masters who pass on their secrets from generation to generation,” notes Lyubov Guskova.
The specific set of items depends on the type of ceremony. The least required for the hiking option is “Bon temai” (bon is a tray, temai is the ceremony itself). The traditional set includes a caddy, a bamboo spoon for pouring and the same whisk, a cauldron, a bowl, as well as bowls for guests.
There are many types of ceramics for tea – and in addition to assessing the subtleties of taste, guests admire the appearance and decor of the dishes, assess how different elements of the set are combined with each other.
Enter in peace
Depending on the time of day, the Japanese ceremony is called: morning, noon, evening, sunset. The most official is noon.
It has a place not only for tea: first, a dinner of several courses is served, and it lasts two to three hours. Then the “first kindling of coal” begins: the room is fumigated with incense. Then the guests walk around the garden and relax in the waiting gazebo, and upon their return it is time for the ceremony of koycha, “thick” tea.
The host brews matcha, which is supposed to be drunk in small sips from one bowl in a circle. This is followed by the “second kindling of coal” and the final part – the transition to “light” usutcha tea, which is served to each in a separate cup.
Such a ceremony cannot be held if there is no special tea house. In front of it, a rock garden should be located to set the guests in a contemplative mood. A small door leads to the main room. Its dimensions require leaving weapons outside.
Today hardly anyone will come to visit us armed. But the symbolic meaning is still relevant: disagreements should be left outside this peaceful place.
Silence inside
Revealing the taste of tea is far from the only skill of the master.
“During the traditional ceremony, he hardly communicates with the guests, which means that he strives to convey all the feelings and mood with the cup of tea that he prepares,” emphasizes Lyubov Guskova. – And they evaluate the ceremony as a work of art, in general and intuitively. For me, if during the ceremony, starting from the arrival of guests and ending with drinking tea, I managed to create a feeling of harmony with the outside world and myself, help them achieve peace or a state of inner silence, then everything worked out.
How long does it take to learn all the subtleties? “It is impossible to predict, everyone needs their own time to reach the stage when you are called a tea master and you get the right to independently conduct the ceremony,” Lyubov Guskova answers. “Usually it takes five to seven years, but there is no limit to perfection, and the path continues.”
And the first step is a guest who realizes that tea is not just a drink. I am only on the threshold of this step. But I’m going to bring something from the tea ceremony into my life: friendly communication in an elevated but relaxed atmosphere, enjoying the beauty of what is happening and a special sense of time.
Maybe the one Carroll’s Hatter is talking about: “When you’re on good terms with Time, it does whatever it wants for you.”