Japanese Tea Ceremony?

Question

Does anyone know anything about the japanese tea ceremony? all you know would help a lot!

Answer 1

Japanese tea ceremony came from China and was formalized in Japan. At the time Japan's court life was very lavish. In reaction to this tea ceremonies concentrated on simplicity yet in time tea implements became very expensive again.

According to Wikipedia, "The Japanese tea ceremony (茶道, chadō or sadō, "the way of tea") is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea, or matcha (抹茶), is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting. Colloquially it is often called ocha among Japanese.

The pronunciation sadō is preferred by some traditions, including the Omotesenke and the Mushanokōjisenke, while the pronunciation chadō is preferred by others, including the Urasenke tradition, though the two words are completely interchangeable.

Cha-no-yu (literally "hot water for tea" or "tea flavored soup/hot water") usually refers to either a single ceremony or ritual or equivalent with sadō/chadō, while cha-ji refers to a full tea ceremony with kaiseki (a light meal), usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea), lasting approximately four hours."

People do keep the tradition alive and some study tea ceremony in junior high or high school as well as through local masters.

Answer 2

Well, the wiki article aboce gives you the basics. Chanoyo is the most popular tea ceremony, but there are other like sencha. The Tea ceremony itself becomes truly an art form beginning during the Tokugawa Period of Japan (1600-1868). During this period many of the Shoguns, like Tokugawa Iemitsu, became very dedicated patrons of the tea ceremony. This allowed them to collect elaborately decorated bowls that the tea was drinked from. There are several scholarly works, and websites I'm sure, on the tea ceremony. The difference between many of the ceremonies is the tools that are used, like whisks, and the manner in which things happen. Like other cultural practices in Japan this one is also very stylized

Hope this helps