| The University of Washington is one of a handful of US universities to offer Chado studies including the University of Hawaii, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and Washington and Lee University. At UW, the class has been taught continuously since 1981 with funding and instruction provided by the Urasenke Foundation of Kyoto, Japan through its Seattle Branch. The UW Chado class is offered fall and winter quarters at the Seattle campus and spring quarter at the Bothell campus. Enrollment averages thirty students per quarter drawn from every department across campus. The 4-credit course includes a weekly two-hour lecture on campus and a weekly two-hour studio class in the Shoseian teahouse in the Seattle Japanese Garden. In the spring of 2004, students evaluated the course rating it 4.85 out of a possible 5.0 and offered the following (Please see the UW Instructional Assessment System website for detailed results): “It brought a new way of conceptual thinking…the course material stretches Western thought processes to a different, higher level.” “…very challenging, and not only intellectually, but emotionally and physically as well..” “I want to say how much I have enjoyed the peace of Wednesday afternoon studio sessions and your inspired lectures on Tuesday. “ “Of all the classes that I have taken, yours was the most enjoyable and memorable. Thank you for being a great Sensei.” Course Description, Art History 317 Introduction to Chado, the Way of Tea, an artistic discipline with lasting influence on Japanese culture, through one two-hour lecture on campus and one two-hour studio practicum in the Seattle Japanese Garden teahouse. Syllabus lecture Instructor: Timothy Sowa Olson Location: UW Art Building Days and time: Tuesdays, 2:20-4:30 p.m. studio Instructor: Timothy Sowa Olson Teaching Assistants: Genko Blackman, Bonnie Soshin Mitchell, Masaye Sosei Nakagawa Location: Seattle Japanese Garden (from campus, 10 minutes by car; up to 30 minutes by bus) Days and time: Wednedays, 2-4pm; Thursdays, 2-4pm; or Fridays, 2-4pm studio fees $150 payable to Urasenke Foundation, due by the third week of the quarter Grades lecture grade Mid-term exam Final exam Research paper: 6-7 pages, double-spaced, typed, topic to be assigned studio grade Attendance: mandatory attendance of all studio sessions with make-up required within two weeks of absence, with instructor's permission. Attitude: sincerity, punctuality, cooperation, consideration of others and attentiveness. Mastery of Ryakubon temae: including roles of teishu (host), hanto (host's assistant), shokyaku (principal guest), and tsume (final guest). final grade Exams, research paper, and final studio presentation each constitute one-third of the final grade. Attendance and attitude will also be considered. Reading Assignment Tea In Japan, Essays on the History of Chanoyu Edited by Paul Varley and Kumakura Isao, University of Hawaii, 1989 Chapters 1-10 A few copies of this book are on reserve in the Art Library and may be checked out for three (3) days at a time. Urasenke Handbook One A few copies of this book are on reserve in the Art Library and may be checked out for three (3) days at a time. Suggested Reading chado Jennifer Anderson An Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ritual. New York Press, 1991. Elizabeth Berry The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto. UC Press, 1994. Rand Castile The Way of Tea. Weatherhill, 1971. Christine Guth Art, Tea and Industry: Masuda Takashi and the Mitsui Circle. Princeton U. Press, 1993. Dennis Hirota Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of The Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path. Asian Humanities Press, 1995. Donald Keane Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion. Columbia University Press, 2003. Kakuzo Okakura The Book of Tea. Kodansha International, 1989. Morgan Pitelka, ed. Japanese Tea Culture. RoutledgeCurzon Press, 2003. Herbert Plutschow Rediscovering Rikyu and the Beginnings of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Global Oriental Press, 2003. Soshitsu Sen The Japanese Way of Tea From Its Origins in China to Sen Rikyu. University of Hawaii Press, 1998. Soshitsu Sen Tea Life, Tea Mind. Urasenke Foundation, 1979. ceramics Richard Wilson Inside Japanese Ceramics: a primer of materials, techniques, and traditions. Kodansha, 1995; New York: Weatherhill, 1995 gardens Houser and Mizuno Invitation to Tea Gardens, Mitsumura Suiko Shoin Publisher, 1992 Marc P. Keane Japanese Garden Design. Charles Tuttle Publisher, 1996. zen buddhism G. Victor Sogen Hori "Teaching and Learning in the Rinzai Zen Monastery," in Journal of Japanese Studies, 20:1, 1994, pp 5-35. Nanrei Kobori "Zen and the Art of Tea," in Chanoyu Quarterly No. 55, Urasenke Foundation, 1988. Kenneth Kraft, ed. Zen Tradition and Transition, Chapter 1 "My Struggle to Become a Monk"; Chapter 2 "Zen Meditation," Grove Press, New York, 1988. Eido T. Shimano Points of Departure. Zen Studies Society Press. NY., 1991 D. T. Suzuki Essays in Zen Buddhism. Grove Press, N.Y. , 1961 An Introduction to Zen Buddhism. Grove Press, N.Y., 1964 Alan Watts The Way of Zen. New York: Random House, Pantheon Books, 1957; "This Is It" and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience. New York: Random House, Pantheon Books, 1960 aesthetics Jun'ichiro Tanizaki In Praise of Shadows. Trans. by T. Harper and E. Seidensticker. Leete's Island Books, 1977. Course Study Guide Please note this is not necessarily a complete list of terms, facts, etc., for which students are responsible at time of examinations. However, it is a fairly comprehensive list. 1. Chado, Chanoyu, chashitsu, chaji, chakai, chayoriai, tocha, yotsugashira, Ch'an, dancha, matcha, sencha, karamono-wamono, In-yo,, Shin-gyo-so; the phrases "Cha Zen ichi mi"; "Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku"; "Ichi go ichi e"; "Gambaru, kurosuru, tadashii"; "Do, gaku, jitsu"; "Hataraki." Know the Japanese names for common tea utensils used in the studio practice. 2. Chronology of tea history from the Heian Period to the Edo Period; dates of first and second "waves" of tea importation into Japan; the names of the Chinese dynasties from Tang to Ching when tea-related events occurred. Know the history, cultivation, processing, and properties of the tea plant (camellia senensis). 3. Be familiar with the significant "players" and their major contributions: Lu Yu, Bodhidarmha, Vimalakirti, Eichu, Saga, Eisai, Minamoto Sanetomo, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Ikkyu, Murata Shuko, Takeno Jo-o, Sen no Rikyu, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Furuta Oribe, Kobori Enshu, Katagiri Sekishu, Sen Sotan, Sen Genshitsu, and Sen Zabosai. 4. Know Ryakubon temae, the procedure for preparing, serving and receiving tea. 5. Consider the philosophy underlying the Way of Tea and develop an understanding of the reasons for various aspects of the etiquette of the tearoom. 6. Know the architectural terms shinden, shoin, sukiya, soan and the basic characteristics and elements of each. 7. Know the general characteristics and elements of a roji garden. 8. Know the two styles of hearth used for the charcoal fire under the kettle and the months appropriate for each. 9. Know the fundamental characteristics of the wabi aesthetic with classic and modern examples that demonstrate your understanding. 10. Be familiar with the Japanese symbolism relating to seasonal artistic motifs. 11. Know the significance and symbolism of the combination of tea utensils (toriawase) selected by a host for each tea gathering and the role it plays. 12. Know the significance and basic principles of the display of objects in the tokonoma; the type of scrolls appropriate for the tearoom; the rule of placement for flower vases in the tokonoma. Be familiar with the three catagories of formality for scrolls and vases, what materials/styles/national origins determine their placement into a category. Know the basic philosophy and guidelines to arranging flowers for the tearoom. 13. Know the basic difference between glaze, lacquer, and enamel; earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Know the characteristics of a teabowl including interior and exterior profiles. Be able to distinguish Chinese, Korean and Japanese types of ceramic wares by observing their use in the tearoom and through examples in slide presentations. Addendum "The Taste of Tea" by Sen Genshitsu XV When tea was prepared before images of Buddha in the Ch'an (Zen) temples of Song dynasty China, what taste did it have? As Minamoto Sanetomo drank the bowl of tea that had been offered to him by Eisai, what came to his mind? Hideyoshi savored bowl after bowl of tea prepared by Rikyu -- was the taste different from the many bowls of tea that I drink every day? Of course it was. Times change, tea processing methods change, and so do people. This is natural. Should not taste, as well, change? If I were to accept the definition of taste as mere physical sensation my talk would end here. But for me taste is more than sensation; I would venture to say that through the avenue of the sense of taste one might even come to an understanding of the whole of the discipline of chanoyu. Furthermore, whether tea is served according to grand temple ritual or enjoyed in the company of a small group of friends, it is taste that binds the many forms of preparing and drinking powdered green tea [matcha]. In the microcosm of the tearoom, the senses function according to rules different from those to which we are accustomed. In the tearoom, sensations are slight and fragile and few in number; each sensation assumes a stature and character altogether different from those of the everyday world. What is more, the boundaries of the senses blur and sensations tend to run, like liquids, into each other; vision assumes a tactile character, touch and sound suggest visual images. To understand how the sense of taste expands and functions in chanoyu, it might be helpful briefly to suggest, conjure if you will, the mood of a tea gathering climaxed by the drinking of tea. After finishing a light meal you leave the small, dimly-lit tearoom. At a sheltered waiting arbor you sit for a moment and enjoy the garden before you. The play of light and shadow and the rustle of leaves act as a foil to the quietude and somberness that reigns in the tearoom. Beckoned by your host, you return to the hut and a few flowers have been arranged in a vase. The brazier and kettle have been joined by a ceramic water jar and a silk bag encasing a small ceramic tea container. All had been light and convivial, but now the room is silent save for the water in the kettle that is just rising to a boil. Your host joins you in this world apart and prepares tea. Movement anticipates movement, single gestures recede into a continuum; the fragrance of tea fills the room. As if by natural law a bowl of tea is placed out for you. Bringing it to your place, you set it before you and bow in thanks to your host. Picking the teabowl up and placing it on your left palm, you raise it in thanks and, after turning it, bring it to your lips. The first taste of tea is for the eyes. Where the rough glaze of the teabowl meets the shiny and thick liquid, you can see the teachings of nature; water-eroded rock, the moon reflected in a shallow pool, the grass that grows in the rock's crevice. This first taste of tea suggests visual images of nature and nature's ever-renewing energy and vitality. To savor the second taste to the fullest, close your eyes. Sharp, bitter, full-bodied -- as if you could taste the fragrance of newly-mown grass -- this is the second taste of tea. Yet for all its significance, this tasting with the eye and tongue, in fact all that has gone before, is but prologue and preparation for the third taste of tea. For the third taste is the climax of the meeting of host and guest, who taste with the spirit and heart. In chanoyu, the guest at a tea gathering drinks in fully his host's soul; along with the green powdered tea and hot water the host has added nothing less than his own spirit, his own heart. The gratitude that springs of itself from the heart of the guest is what the guest then shares with the host in return. Tea is tasted in three ways -- with the eyes, with the tongue and with the spirit. The whole of this experience is greater than the sum of the individual tastes. Drinking a bowl of tea brings you to the threshold of the understanding that you are not alone in the world, but instead are part of a larger matrix. Drinking tea you are wed to the others in the tearoom, to nature, to your ancestors and descendants. As you proceed in the pursuit of the discipline, the taste of tea will change, and when you taste with the spirit, the taste you experience will be the essence of chanoyu. Sen Rikyu's Four Principles of Chado WA: Harmony. This is a feeling of oneness with nature and others. It is the harmony between host and guest, guest and guest, mood and theme of the gathering, the food served and the utensils used echoing the flowing rhythms of nature. Sensitivity to the changing seasons and harmony with these changes pervades Tea and quietly leads one to an understanding of the impermanence of all things and the "unchanging in the changing." KEI: Respect. Naturally resulting from a feeling of gratitude, respect is extended not only to other people but also to the utensils used, to our daily lifestyle and to all things and all creatures.The hospitality of the host, the concern of the guests for each other and for the host, and the careful handling of the tea utensils exemplify this respect.To the uninitiated what may appear at first as an excessively strict and formal etiquette in the tearoom is actually a means of teaching Kei. SEI: Purity. Cleanliness and orderliness, in both the physical and the spiritual sense. This is a very important part of the study of Tea, just as in Zen training. Before each use the teahouse and garden are thoroughly cleaned; on the shelves in the preparation room everything has its place and is kept in order. Sei also implies simplification, the elimination of unnecessary elements. As an indication of the host's concern with purity, he or she wipes the natsume and the chashaku with the fukusa and the teabowl with the chakin, while at the same time purifying the heart and mind through regulation of the breathe while focusing total concentration on the task at hand. The guests, before entering the tearoom, rinse their hands and mouths at a low stone basin, symbolically purifying themselves of the "dust" of worldly attachments. JAKU: Tranquility. Through the constant practice of the first three principles, one is prepared to approach the utter stillness and silence of Jaku. This is not the familiar psychological state but a spiritual state of enlightenment that transcends one's mind and body. It is the dynamic force of one's innermost being that fills the practice of Tea with significance. Sen Rikyu's Seven Rules of Chado 1. Make a delicious bowl of tea (in both a literal and spiritual sense). 2. Give a cool feeling in summer, a warm feeling in winter. 3. Arrange the charcoal so that the water boils properly. 4. Arrange the flowers as though they are in their natural environment. 5. Always be ahead of schedule; time is precious and should never be wasted. 6. Always be ready for "rain"; prepare for the unexpected. 7. Always give others with whom you find yourself full consideration. The Unique Environment of Tea: Roji In the feudal period, small urban retreats provided men of taste and culture with a place to relax and entertain friends who shared an interest in chanoyu, art and other cultural pursuits. "Mountain huts within the city" became fashionable among the elite at the end of the 15th c. The chashitsu (teahouse) sits in an enclosed landscape called roji. This term literally translates as "dewy ground." However, there is another Buddhist meaning to "roji" as well: written with a different second character,* the term means "to disclose/reveal, be naked," the connotation being that one's original nature can be discovered in this sanctuary, that the roji is a passage conducive to peeling away the layers of the discriminating mind and laying bare the original self. This prepares one for sincere and genuine communication. Okakura Kakuzo in The Book of Tea states that "the roji signifies the first stage of meditation -- the passage into self-illumination." This landscape may consist of one, two, or three parts. Gardens today are often composed of two parts, the outer (soto) roji and the inner (uchi) roji. Hedges, or fences, and a gate divide the two areas. The chumon (middle gate) allows access from one area to the other. Not all chumon are as simple as the bamboo wicket found in the roji of Shoseian (Arbor of the Murmuring Pine) in Seattle's Japanese Garden. Some are a bit more imposing, incorporating a roof over the gateway, and may have two, rather than one, hinged elements forming the closure. The brighter outer roji is considered one step removed from the world of our daily lives, while the shadier, darker, inner roji is thought of as passageway to the realm of Chanoyu [secular vs. sacred space]. The main feature in the outer roji is the koshikake machiai (waiting arbor; covered waiting bench), where guests wait or rest while attending a chaji (full-length tea gathering). The most outstanding features of the inner roji are the purification basin (tsukubai) and teahouse with its guest entrance.. Tobiishi (stepping stones) lead the guests from the waiting arbor to their destination in the inner roji. The meandering nature of the natural stone paths is designed to slow the guest down and reveal the landscape gradually, thus increasing the sense of space and passage as well as emphasizing the transitional function of the roji. Smaller stones cause us to look down and pay attention to our steps, while larger stones in the path allow for a moment to look up, another design device which increases the illusion of space in what is typically a very small area. Sometimes, a section of the path called nobedan ("pavement"; sometimes referred to as "ishidatami"), made up of smaller stones of varying sizes grouped closely together, contributes to the illusion by changing the visual and kinetic experience. Nobedan can be either straight or curvilinear. Although located in a bustling urban area, the roji is designed to impart the feeling of a quiet path deep in the mountains leading to a hermitage. This feeling is enhanced by the moss ground cover, meandering natural stepping stones and mostly evergreen plants and shrubs. Flowers and flowering plants are generally excluded from the roji, for they distraction from the contemplative mood as well as diminishing the impact of the simple arrangement of seasonal flowers the host has displayed for the guests in the tearoom alcove. The chashitsu nestled in its roji provides a welcome respite, close at hand, for those who seek to refresh their hectic lives. Ideas that influenced the setting of the chashitsu and roji: Religion: The Vimilakirti sutra describes the Indian saint Vimilakirti who, on one occasion, entertained 10,000 guests in his ten-foot-square hut. The story of Vimilakirti is said to have been the inspiration for the 4.5-mat tearoom. Art: Chinese Sung and Yuan dynasty monochromatic landscape paintings of the isolated scholar's hut nestled among mist-shrouded, craggy mountain peaks. Literature: "Hojoki" (The Ten-Foot-Square Hut), by poet and critic, Kamo no Chomei. The 13th c. commentary portrays the life of a truth seeking hermit/scholar, who abandons the pleasures of the capital in search of tranquility and beauty. Different combinations of Sino-Japanese characters have been used to write the word roji, the garden adjacent to the teahouse. Religious overtones are suggested in the combination of characters "dew and bright/clear." Pronounced "arawa," it means open, overt, disclosed, exposed, naked; as in "arawa ni suru," to lay bare. Today the characters "dew and ground" are most commonly used. Sen Genshitsu XV cites a parable from the Lotus Sutra to explain the combination of the characters "dewy ground" for roji, a translation from sanskrit that points to the philosophical intent underlying the tea garden. In the parable a father calls his children from a burning house to safety in the roji. The "burning house" represents suffering caused by greed, anger and delusion. The dewy ground is a sanctuary. In other words, the roji is seen as the setting for spiritual awakening. The seminal 16th century tea master Sen Rikyu said that the roji represents a Buddhist world of purity and cleanliness, and therefore, one of the most important duties of the host is to clean the "garden" sweeping the moss and stepping stones, removing cobwebs and sprinkling it all with water - a refreshing sign of welcome. The act of cleaning enables one to sense the pure and sacred essence of things in man and nature. Before the host can receive guests, he must also cleanse himself by discarding any prejudices or impure thoughts that he may harbor. This contrived yet natural-looking landscape requires regular maintenance and careful "manicuring." The real concern should always be the beauty not visible externally but which is manifest within one's heart. Before signaling the guests to the teahouse, the host purifies hands and mouth at the tsukubai (low stone basin for ritual purification), and, likewise, each guest does so before entering the teahouse. Rikyu thought this the most important act performed in the roji. (Compare holy water at the entrance to a Catholic church and the large basins of water with ladles near the entrance to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple in Japan.) The tsukubai ("crouching", or low, stone basin), one of the outstanding features of the inner roji, is placed a short distance from the teahouse. Granite stone is chosen for its color and organic shape. The size of the stone will vary in accord with the size of the teahouse and garden. Usually an ishidoro (stone lantern) accompanies the prescribed arrangement of stones that constitutes the tsukubai: 1) maeishi (front stone), the flat stone immediately in front of the basin where the guest crouches to ladle water. 2) teshokuishi (candlestick stone), the flat-topped stone to the right of the basin used at a night tea gathering. 3) yuokeishi (hot water bucket stone), the flat-topped stone to the left for a wooden container of warm water for use by guests in during the winter months. Other elements: Koshikake machiai (covered waiting bench in the outer roji garden) Chiriana (waste recepticle near guest entrance of smaller teahouses) Katanakake (sword rack near guest entrance of teahouses, more common before Meiji Restoration/1868) Hengaku (name plaque for teahouse over guest entrance) Kutsunugiishi (stone in front of guest entrance for shoe removal) Entrance to teahouse (style will vary according to the size of the teahouse) Tea Gathering Sequence Guests enter from the street through the mon, or main gate, and proceed to the main house. Just inside the entrance is the yori tsuki where they remove their outer wear, put on a fresh pair of tabi socks, and assemble their tea implements before going to the machiai, or indoor waiting area. Here the guests taste the water drawn especially for the tea gathering. Stepping out into the roji garden, or “dewy ground,” each guest takes a seat at the koshikake machiai, or outdoor arbor, and waits to be summoned by the host. Upon completing preparations inside the chashitsu, or teahouse, the host carries a bucket of water and ladle to the tsukubai, or fresh-water basin. He purifies the stones and shrubs surrounding the tsukubai, including the lantern, then rinses his mouth, hands and ladle, before refilling the basin. The ladle is placed on the stone for the guests’ use. After returning the water bucket to the teahouse, the host walks toward the guests passing through the nakamon, or middle gate. The guests, observing the host’s approach, rise from their seats and step toward the host. The host extends a silent bow of welcome (mukae tsuke). The guests observe the host as he reenters the teahouse before returning to their seats. Then one at a time beginning with the head guest, each rises and proceeds along the stepping stones from the wider, airier soto roji, or outer garden, through the middle gate into the smaller, darker uchi roji, or inner garden, stopping for purification at the tsukubai before entering the teahouse. During the first half of the gathering the host builds a fire to heat the water in the iron kettle from which water for tea will be drawn and serves a meal of seasonal ingredients in several courses. The guests return to the koshikake machiai allowing the host to prepare the tearoom for tea. During the nakadachi, or intermission, guests may use the garden’s restroom that is attached to the koshikake machiai or is adjacent to it. When summoned, they once again use the tsukubai before reentering the teahouse. The host prepares a communal bowl of “thick” tea for all to share; he rebuilds the fire, and finally serves individual bowls of “thin” tea to each guest. This concludes the host’s offerings. Thanks and bows are exchanged within the teahouse, and again once the guests have stepped back into the garden. The guests retrace their steps, strolling along the stepping stones, through the machiai to the yoritsuki where they collect their belongings before departing through the main gate. End of note |
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