The original practice of these ceremonies began in China, but was highly developed in Japan. These ceremonies first took place in Zen temples so monks could escape the real world and gather themselves spiritually. Eventually, they spread to other social groups and were used mostly to show off items of value such as paintings, ceramics, etc.
Most people would probably not consider this ritual as an art, however I believe "art" is more then just a written word or simple drawings. The ritual is a very complicated and precise practice that includes both the host and guests, and can change depending on the purpose of the ceremony and the season. Some examples would be hanging the appropriate wall scrolls, or proper hand-motions and gesturing. Tea ceremonies consist of two portions, a formal and a casual. The formal portion is the most artistic in my opinion. During this time, the hosts treat their guests to several small meals, treats and sake while the guests pay homage and ask questions about the wall scrolls and other items. After the meals, they take a small break where the host has time to clean and prepare the tea. When the guests return, they are served a thick matcha, powered green tea. The ritual of serving the tea is where the art form shows the most. It isn't as simple as just pouring tea into a cup, but a set procedure that changed depending on the theme of the ceremony and season. After the guests have taken a sip of the tea, which was served in one cup, and served compliments to the host, the hosts leaves and comes back to rekindle the fire to make more tea.
-Shaun Tracy (Ch. 6)
I find the way of entrance to the Tea ceremonies, and the meaning behind it, to be fascinating. I love the Japanese culture and I think the idea of leaving your social rank at the door is a great tradition. This really does show that equal opportunity can be achieved in a culture, which is something that I believe is hard for people of the West to do. In my opinion, I think it is a shame that the tea ceremonies grew to become somewhat political. However, I agree with you that these rituals, both the formal and informal ceremonies, are a form of art. Dictionary.com describes art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance”. I feel that this tradition is made up of all of these characteristics. I agree that the formal tea is the more artistic of the two because it involves a great deal of expression, meaning, and intricate principles. The formal tea takes on an opportunity for learning and enlightening the brain with cultural knowledge. This is an intriguing topic and interesting ritual. I wish we had more interest in this within our class so we could put these traditions into practice and perform a Tea Ceremony of our own.
ReplyDelete~Brittany Rodriguez