It turns out that the tea ceremony is not just a recreation in Japan! Did you know, the tea ceremony in Japan can also be referred to as “The Way of Tea”. This is a ceremony that focuses on the ritual of preparing and serving tea in front of guests. Apart from being very prestigious, this ceremony also varies greatly depending on other things, such as what season it is, who the guests are participating in, and so on. The tea ceremony in Japan is recognized worldwide as a respectful, very comfortable and peaceful experience.
In Japan, the tea ceremony is known as Cha-no-yu, which translates to “hot water for tea”, referring to the word Chado (茶道 or pronounced Sado) which means “Tea Road”. Sounds easy right? From a tea lover’s point of view, this ceremony is indeed an important and all that, but it can also be said that it is also simple to perform.
The 4 Principles of Cha-no-yu
The basic principles or guidelines for Cha-no-yu like this were expressed by a tea master (an expert in the field of tea) named Sen No Rikyu, namely:
Wa (和)
Wa is a complete harmony, complete harmony between the guest, the host and the environment or circumstances around. The ceremony begins when you set foot in his home garden, or in his tea garden.
Kei (敬)
A form of deep respect for all strata regardless of status level. This respect is shown by kneeling and bowing during the ceremony.
Sei (清)
Sei is a form of cleansing oneself and making the heart and mind purer. A tea house is supposed to be a place that is refreshing, relaxing and in a sense similar to a yoga studio or class.
Jaku (寂)
A form of inner peace that you can only find by obtaining the first three principles: Wa, Kei and Sei.
Apart from these principles, the essence of Cha-no-yu is summarized in Ichi-go Ichi-e which literally means meeting once, once meeting moment. Everyone who participates should be aware that every meeting is a unique event so sincerity is key. Likewise, ITO EN provides and holds the principle of sincerity in every process from upstream to downstream. Because ITO EN believes that this is the main key so that the goodness in the tea is completely in your hands.