P6+Chado+Tea

=P6 Chado= Keegan K and John P

Chado or the way of the tea is a very important and natural part of everyday life. Chado has many different roots from Zen Buddhist monks to Japanese Scholars, and everything from its past is important to where it is now. Chado also went along with Shinto and helped people connect with nature peacefully. The calmness tea provided also helped Buddhist monks and other people meditate. Chado is relaxed and very interesting thing that was a great part in everyday life.

The Chanoyu, or tea ceremony may seem simple, but there are many small details that make the tea ceremony what it is. The tea ceremony went through many changes, but the final version was perfected by Sen Rikyu. Sen Rikyu was a great tea master and his ceremony is known as Wabi. Though there are many variations of the Tea ceremony a noon time tea ceremony is the most common one. A noon time tea would start with 15 minutes of waiting by the guests, and they have to be on time. Then an attendant would lead them to an outdoor waiting area where the guests and host would greet each other with silent bows. Then they would cleanse themselves and enter the tea room, (you would not wear your shoes inside the tea room) and the last person in would slam the door shut to signal to the host that he may light the charcoal fire. While the water warms up they would have to eat a small snack. Then they would have an average sized tea. They should eat and drink everything served. Everything used in the tea ceremony should be admired by the guests which is the most important part of the ceremony as referenced in the book The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. After two or three days they would write a Thank you note. This would be called a Korel and is very important to do. The Chanoyu or tea ceremony in Japanese culture is away to invite people to your house as said in the book The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. The tea ceremony can also be used to meet business associates as The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. The tea ceremony although perfected in Japan was originally from China.

Though tea does come from cultural diffusion with china, it has a lot more to do than just that. It first came from Zen Buddhist monks, but they did not use it for the ceremony. It came during the 7th century of cultural contact with China. Most of the Tea ceremony comes from China, but there are changes that the Japanese have made. At first it came as a medicine from China. When it first came as a drink to Japan it was only used by Court nobles and Zen priests. During the 12th century a man named Eisai wrote a book on tea which described the power that tea has to heal the body and spirit. Eisai’s student, Do-gen also made a major contribution to the Tea ceremony. When Do-gen came back from China in 1227, he came back with many tea utensils, and he knew all about the tea ceremony. He also gave instructions on the tea ceremony to other people. Tea spread through the nobles of Kyoto and among samurai. Many parties that people had included tea and different thing were done with the tea. The popularity of tea spread among everyone and soon everyone was doing things with the Tea ceremony.

Through all the steps of the long process of Chado there comes an almost meditating like state. In the religions of Shinto and Zen Buddhism tea is used as a way to clean yourself or to clear your mind. Especially for the Buddhist monks who use the tea to help them stay awake while meditating. Chanoyu is in some ways like meditation it urges participants to cherish the fleeting beauty of nature's cycles while sharing a bowl of tea and quiet conversations in natural places. A big part of drinking and preparing to in Japan is appreciation of nature. The idea of using tea during meditation also led to samurai warriors drinking for several purposes.

The calming state of the meditation of Chado attracted Buddhist monks, but it also attracted more than one religion. The Buddhist monks drank tea to keep themselves awake longer while they were in deep meditation. The monks drank a lot of tea because they meditated many times so they could achieve enlightenment. Chanoyu or the tea ceremony is related to Zen Buddhism because it is very close to their tradition of meditation. The tea relates to the Buddhist monks meditation because they drink it also to clean and clear their minds which is very close to why they meditate. The Buddhist monks and most of Japan used the tea as medicine before they ever started drinking it. People that follow Shinto drinks tea because they belief that drinking tea is away to clean their minds and as a way to respect the beauty of nature. The tea fits into the religion of Shinto well because the main purpose of the religion is to be clean in the mind and in the body and it is believed drinking tea is a way to do that. The religious aspect of drinking tea in Japan led to the Buddhist monks drinking it during meditation.

The calming state of Chado was used by many people, and the samurai used it to. The main reason the samurai warriors drank tea was so they could meditate and build within themselves the self-confidence and self-discipline they needed to be samurai. he samurai warriors were regular observers of Chanoyu or the tea ceremony because it allowed them to leave all of their thoughts of fighting and battle behind so they could enter an area of peace and quiet. They also used the tea ceremony as a time to discuss different things as show in The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. This was perfected by the great samurai warrior Sen Rikyu. Overall, tea and its ceremony are great things that influenced multiple and important things in Japanese culture. media type="custom" key="8455150"

Citations “ancient samurai vector illustration”. [] .[2/21/11].Image

“A buddhist monk in harmony as swallows swirling as he meditates”. [] .[2/19/2011].Image

“Ancient ships sailing into the sunset, vector”. [] .[2/21/11].Image

Baker, Rosalie"Samurai." //Calliope.// Cobblestone Publishing Inc, 1993. Colume. three NH

Chado- The Way of Tea World Cultures October 1999

Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medival and Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts on File,Inc. 2006.

“Cup of tea”. []. [2/19/2011].Image

Hoobler, Dorothy. The ghost in the Tokaido Inn. New York Philomel Books 1999

“master of tea ceremony holding a cup with tea in hands”. [] .[2/21/2011].Image

Schomp, Virginia. Japan in the Days of the Samurai. New York: benchmark books, 2002. p.38.