CHADO ROOM VANCOUVER | MASTER CRAFTSMAN MASA NEGISHI | PHOTOGRAPHER VICKY TANG  

THE PRINCIPLES OF CHADO

Chado incorporates an array of sensibilities: social etiquette, Asian artistic traditions and philosophy, attention to the seasons, and the essence of Zen Buddhism. This construct allows one to achieve the four principles of the Japanese Tea Ceremony: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.

The emotion derived from Chado is conceptual: your focus naturally flows into the present, where the uniqueness of each moment can be savoured. The host focuses entirely on serving a cup of tea; the guest, entirely on receiving tea with gratitude. In doing so, the host and guest foster a true sense of tranquility.

CHADO - THE WAY OF TEA

Chado is based upon the simple act of boiling water, making tea, offering it to others, and drinking of it ourselves. Served with a respectful heart and received with gratitude, a bowl of tea satisfies both physical and spiritual thirst.

The frenzied world and our myriad dilemmas leave our bodies and minds exhausted. It is then that we seek out a place where we can have a moment of peace and tranquility. In the discipline of Chado such a place can be found. The four principals of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, codified almost four hundred years ago, are timeless guides to the practice of Chado. Incorporating them into daily life helps one to find that unassailable place of tranquility that is within each of us.

THE DOCTRINE OF SEN RIKYU

By Soshitsu Sen, Urasenke Grand Tea Master XV

Tea is nothing other than this:
heat the water, prepare the tea, and drink it with propriety.
That is all you need to know.
Make a delicious bowl of tea; arrange the charcoal to heat the water;
arrange the flowers the way they are in the fields;
in summer suggest coolness, in the winter warmth;
anticipate everything; be ready for rain;
show the greatest possible consideration toward your guests.

PURITY HARMONY RESPECT & TRANQUILITY

By Keith Snyder of the Urasenke Foundation of Vancouver

The Way of Tea (Chado) developed in Japan out of a fusion of many elements: Zen, Chinese and Japanese aesthetics, Bushido (the Way of the Warrior), and the early of the beverage in temple and manor. The practice of tea is also known as Chanoyu.

Tea came to Japan in the 12th century by way of travelling Japanese monks. At first it was considered a medicine since it had the wonderful property of increasing the mental alertness of the imbiber. While it was used in temples as an offering and as a way for monks to remain alert during long periods of meditation, it was also served by the wealthy at large gatherings at which fine art works from the continent were displayed. In time, the tea utensils themselves came to be appreciated as objets d'art and tea was prepared before the guests according to prescribed rules. By the 16th century, three dominating influences can be discerned: the Zen tradition of Ikkyu, the aesthetics of the so-called Higashiyama culture centred around the Ashikaga Shogunate, and the interest in tea of the merchant class. It can be said that these three elements came together in the tea of Sen Rikyu, who is regarded as the father of Chado as we know it today. To the outside observer, the movements of the participants engaged in tea activity look deceptively like an elaborate and arbitrary system of etiquette. Form is everything in tea, but form is not valued simply as an end in itself. Through the form one enters into a deeper understanding, which is not available by any intellectual process or verbal explanation. Learning Chado begins with a step-by-step process in which the body acquires the ability to act in the tea environment without superfluous mental calculation, and as in any sport, dance, or discipline, this means that it is learned by the body through repetition. Though there are various levels of practice, increasing in complexity as the student advances, it is the elementary procedure first learned that is the most important, for it is with this basic procedure (hira-demae) that one makes and offers tea to others outside of the tea lesson. Not a ritual, not a ceremony, this is a pure act of the heart.

CHADO at T

We are honoured to have esteemed master, Mrs. Saikaino of the Urasenke Foundation, as our teacher.
For more information about Urasenke please refer to www.urasenke.org
For more information on Chado please contact:

The Urasenke Foundation of Vancouver
Mr. Keith Snyder
209 Jackson Street
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Canada V3K 4C1
Tel: 604-939-7749
Fax: 604-939-7128
krsnyder@shaw.ca

THE UTENSILS

BRAZIER

During the six warmer months (May through October), a portable brazier (furo) is used for heating the water in the kettle. Though the original brazier, which came to Japan from China in the 13th century, was bronze with a fitted kettle resting on its rim, as the Japanese Way of Tea developed, earthenware braziers came to be used. At the same time, the upper edge of the braziers was opened up, and an iron trivet was used to support the kettle. In this way, various kettles could be used with various braziers, adding to the artistic possibilities in the choosing of utensils for any specific occasion. Ash is heaped up in the bottom of the brazier, the iron trivet is placed and measured according to the height and shape of the kettle, and finally the ash is carefully shaped in one of the prescribed forms, using a set of metal spoons. The charcoal is arranged in its prescribed manner, in the centre of the brazier.

KETTLE

Cast-iron kettles (kama) for use in Chanoyu come in many shapes and sizes, but can be roughly divided into two categories: those for use with a portable brazier and those for use with the sunken hearth. The chief difference between these two types is their size; the hearth kettles being larger than the brazier kettles. In general, kettles for Chanoyu have no handles. Instead, they are equipped with built-in lugs on either side, into which metal rings are inserted when it is necessary to move the kettle. Iron teakettles are never touched directly with the hands, as the oil in the skin of the handler would immediately penetrate the surface of the kettle and create a permanent stain.

TEA BOWL

Because the tea involved in Chanoyu is powdered tea, which is either blended with hot water into thick tea, or whisked vigorously with hot water into thin tea, a bowl (chawan) rather than cup is used. The preparing, serving, and drinking of thick tea is the event around which a complete tea gathering is centered. Because much weight is attached to the preparing and drinking of thick tea, a plain tea bowl with no designs is used. Raku, hagi and Korean style bowls are most often used for thick tea. For thin tea, which is served in a more relaxed and casual atmosphere, there are no restrictions as to what type of tea bowl should be used. Points to consider when appreciating a tea bowl are: weight (it should be light), lip construction (is it easy to drink from?), general shape, scenery (how the glaze and/or clay formed color variations), foot construction (there are many styles, but it is apparent whether or not the potter put much effort into the foot), and history (i.e. any associations the bowl may have to people in the present or past).

TEA SCOOP

Of all the utensils used in Chanoyu, the tea scoop (chashaku), along with the hanging scroll, is the most personal. While most of the other utensils are made by professional craftsmen, the tea scoop was traditionally made by a tea master or a Zen monk. It is the virtue of the person, or the tradition, which he represents, that takes precedence over skill here. A slip of bamboo is heated, bent, and then carved. Finally, a name is given to the scoop by its maker. In this way, from carving to naming, the tea scoop takes on an identity which is never separated from its carver. For this reason, a discussion of who made the tea scoop and what name it carries, is an essential part of any gathering. The names are either expressions taken from Chinese or Japanese Zen literature or they are seasonal references, which contribute to the atmosphere of the gathering.

TEA WHISK

Practically speaking, the tea whisk (chasen) is the most indispensable of the utensils used in preparing Matcha (powdered green tea). One can boil water in any way that is convenient, use any bowl or cup wide enough, and take tea from its can with a spoon. But without a bamboo tea whisk, it is close to impossible to make tea.

For thick tea, roughly three scoops of tea per person are placed in the bowl. A small amount of hot water is added. Using the chasen, the hot water is kneaded into the tea powder, until a smooth paste is formed. Again hot water is added, this time to adjust the thickness of the tea. This one bowl of tea is for everyone in the room, except the host, who does not drink.

For thin tea, two scoops of tea are placed in the bowl. Then half a ladle of hot water is added and the tea is whisked briskly so that a light foam forms on the surface. This is one person's tea as each person is served with a separate bowl.

LADLE

Since neither the kettle nor the water jar have handles, a ladle (hishaku) is necessary for transferring water between utensils. Like the whisk and linen cloth used for drying the tea bowl, a new ladle would be used for each tea gathering. Mastering the use of the ladle according to prescribed rules is one of the most challenging aspects of learning the tea-making procedure.

LID REST

This small and unassuming object actually does quite a bit of work during the tea-making procedure. In addition to providing a place to put the lid of the kettle when it is removed, the lid rest (futaoki) is also used as a temporary support for the ladle at the beginning and end of the basic procedures for making tea. A bamboo lid rest is used when the water jar is carried in and out of the room; a ceramic or metal one is used when the water jar is displayed on a stand. Bamboo lid rests for use with the brazier and the sunken hearth are distinguished by the placement of their nodes.

WATER JAR

The Water Jar (mizusashi) is the largest of the ceramic utensils used in Chanoyu. It is either carried into the room by the host or displayed in advance on some kind of utensil stand. Though hot water is obviously essential in preparing tea, there are also times during the tea-making procedure in which cold water is either added to the kettle or used to rinse the tea bowl. The variety of ceramic styles used in making water jars is as diverse as, if not more so than, that of tea bowls. These styles include: bizen, shino, shigaraki, porcelain, celadon, Kyoto style overglaze enamelware, karatsu, and iga.

WASTE-WATER CONTAINER

The tea bowls used in a tea gathering are rinsed out both before and after making tea in them. A utensil for receiving the waste-water (kensui) is therefore necessary. Though metal is the most common material used in making waste-water containers, they are also made of earthenware or sometimes wood.