Among the many traditional Japanese cultures, the tea ceremony, or chanoyu, is extremely popular among foreign visitors to Japan.
Various locations offer experience content for tourists, ranging from casual activities to more professional activities where you wear a kimono and perform the tea ceremony in a Japanese-style room.
However, the truth is that there are so many different tools and procedures that it is impossible to remember or fully understand it after just one experience.
Even for Japanese people who attend tea ceremony classes, it takes years to understand the depth of the art and be able to perform it well.
For those who are interested in the tea ceremony but have given up because they think there are so many steps and it seems difficult, I would like to help you gradually gain understanding and discover the charm of the tea ceremony.
In this first episode, we will start with the tools and their arrangement in "Bon abbreviated tea ceremony", the first tea ceremony performed at Urasenke.
The basics of "Bon abbreviated tea ceremony"
No large tools are required. Bonryaku Temae can be easily started with just the tools that fit on a small tray.
What is "Bon abbreviated tea ceremony"?
There are simplified methods of tea ceremony that omit some of the formal steps.
These include "Ryurei", which is done at a table and chair, "Nodate", which is done outdoors, and "Bon abbreviated tea ceremony", which was designed to make it easy for anyone to enjoy tea.
In "Bon abbreviated tea ceremony", the utensils necessary for the tea ceremony are placed on a round tray about 30cm in diameter, then carried out and the tea ceremony is performed on the tray alone. Since only the bare minimum of utensils are required, you can easily enjoy tea anywhere.
"Bon abbreviated tea ceremony" is a method devised by Ennosai, the 13th head of the Urasenke school, and is the first tea ceremony you will learn at Urasenke.
Name and placement of tools required for Bon abbreviated tea ceremony
Yamamichibon: The tray's edges are wavy like an undulating mountain path, hence the name.
Tetsubin: An iron water heater in the shape of a kettle
Binkake: A small brazier-like container for placing the kettle
Chawan: A container for making and drinking tea. There are a variety of types, from thick to thin, simple to ornate.
Chasen: A tool used to stir the matcha and hot water after pouring them into the tea bowl
Natsume (thin container): A container for pouring matcha
Chashaku: A spoon used to pour matcha from the natsume into the tea bowl
Chakin: A cloth used to wipe the tea bowl
Kenzu: A container to pour the hot water into the tea bowl after cleaning and warming it
Fukusa: A cloth used to clean the utensils and remove the lid of the kettle during the tea ceremony
Sweets: For thin tea, it is common to use dried sweets such as rakugan, senbei, and aruheito.
These are the basic tools used in the tea ceremony. First, let's remember their names, roles, and where they are placed.
Of the tools needed for Bon abbreviated tea ceremony, the relatively expensive ones are the iron kettle and the bottle holder. You can substitute these with a pot filled with hot water for now.
Kensui can be a bowl you have at home.
Furthermore, instead of the Yamamichi tray, you can use an ordinary household tray.
Once you feel like you can continue, you can purchase the tools you like one by one.
First, gather the tools that will rest on the tray and then start practicing.