Project Overview
This project aims to examine the influence of Zen Buddhism on the Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu. By analyzing different aspects of chanoyu, I hope to display how the ceremony has evolved from Buddhist practices and how certain Zen ideals are reflected within the practices of the ceremony. This project is focused on the core question of “what is Japan-ness?” by looking back at history to identify how the teachings of Zen Buddhism formed chanoyu into an art form unique to Japan, and how modern tea masters uphold these practices.
Overview of Chanoyu
Chanoyu (tea of hot water) is a ceremony in which a host invites guests to partake in the drinking of tea. Modern tea master Sen Sōshitsu XV describes it as “nothing more than the occasion for the partaking of a bowl of tea … only the ordinary act of eating and drinking that can be seen in daily life” (Sōshitsu XV xxiv). While on the surface chanoyu may appear to be simply an occasion on which to drink tea, the ceremony is steeped in Zen Buddhist tradition, with its influence spanning back hundreds of years. In the same quote by Sōshitsu, he states chanoyu is also a time when “we sweep away the impurities of this world, we can see the operation of an other-worldly concept that makes us conscious of having put aside the concerns of mundane life” (Sōshitsu XV xxiv). This quote acknowledges the literal happenings of a tea ceremony, but also accounts for the Zen aspects of chanoyu that inspire mindfulness and meditation.
Movement of Guests
Guests at a tea ceremony follow a very specific set of movements in order to appreciate each aspect of the ceremony. Guests approach the tearoom through a lush garden, packed with trees and stones. At the end of the path through the garden lies the tearoom. When ready to enter, guests quickly rinse their hands and face and enter through a small opening in the side, only big enough for guests to crawl through. The room into which the guests enter is one carefully curated by the tea master. There is a decorated alcove, charcoal bed, and fire, each of which the guests are expected to stop and appreciate. Guests then sit and wait for their host. Once the host appears, guests are served a small meal, before moving back to the garden and waiting to be invited back inside for tea. They sit as the tea is prepared, and when it is ready guests pass around the bowl, taking a customary three and a half sips each until the bowl is empty. Following tea there is time for some conversation, and once this is complete, guests exit through the narrow opening (Sōshitsu XV 389-390).
Movement of Host
The role of the host is to of course provide tea, but also to provide an experience for the guests. In order to create this experience, the host takes time creating a calligraphic scroll to hang in the alcove, arranging ceramic works, burning incense, and creating a fire over which to boil the tea (Sōshitsu XV 389). Each of these aesthetic choices work to create an environment conducive for mindfulness and relaxation for the guests. After the preparations are finalized and the guests arrive, the host greets each guest with a silent acknowledgement and gets ready to prepare the tea. Initially, the host prepares the small meal for the guests. As they eat, the host tends to the fire, adding more charcoal to keep it going. When the guests move to the garden and await the invitation back inside, the host adds the flower arrangement to the alcove. When the host is ready to welcome guests back inside, they strike a gong. They then prepare the tea, ensuring their movements are steady and concentrated. Following tea, after some light conversation, the guests duck back through their designated doorway. As they move back through the garden away from the tearoom, the host appears in the guest doorway and offers a farewell bow (Sōshitsu XV 390).
Sen no Rikyū
While discussing the strong influence Zen Buddhism has on the Japanese tea ceremony, it is also important to understand how the tea ceremony came to be. The development of the tea ceremony and the incorporation of Zen Buddhism is strongly accredited to one tea master in specific: Sen no Rikyū. Rikyū was born in Sakai, Japan in 1521. At this time, tea ceremonies were primarily practiced by the upper class as a form of recreation. Because of the wealth of the population in Sakai, tea ceremonies were a common occurrence. Because of this, Rikyū grew up surrounded by tea culture, and began learning at a very young age. He went on to study Zen Buddhism at Daitokuji in Kyoto, Japan. Eventually, he grew close with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the most powerful man in Japan at the time. Hideyoshi appointed him to be his personal tea master, thus making him essentially the highest ranking tea master in Japan. Rikyū would travel with Hideyoshi on all occasions, including military excursions. Due to personal disagreements, a rift began to form in the relationship between Hideyoshi and Rikyū and in 1591 Hideyoshi commanded Rikyū to end his own life. One of the last things he did was prepare a hot cup of tea and drink it in peace (Suzuki 317-319). Despite his life being cut short, Rikyū’s contributions to the art of the tea ceremony live on. He shaped the tea ceremony by focusing on each element of the ceremony in its simplest form, thus shifting it from an aristocratic practice to something more accessible and humble. A transcript of Rikyū’s teachings published in 1690 entitled Nanpōroku recounts how Rikyū viewed the Buddhist influence on chanoyu: “Chanoyu of the small tea room is first of all a Buddhist spiritual practice… To be concerned about the quality of the dwelling in which you serve tea or the flavor of the food served with it is to emphasize the mundane. It is sufficient if the dwelling one uses does not leak water and the food served suffices to stave off hunger. This is in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha and is the essence of chanoyu” (Wilson 39). This quote demonstrates how Rikyū simplified the tea ceremony and incorporated Buddhism. Rikyū was satisfied with any food that would nourish, and any shelter that would keep him and his guests dry.
Zen Influence
The way in which the tea ceremony aims to give participants a break from the outside world is at the heart of Zen. Like Zen, chanoyu is a simple practice that emphasizes simplicity, humbleness, and focus.
Below is a collection of images depicting various aspects of chanoyu in which Zen influence is apparent. The images are organized in a way that follows the chronology of chanoyu. By demonstrating the timeline of chanoyu, I hope to impart a better understanding of the aspects of Zen throughout the entire ceremony.
Image 1
Guests approach the tearoom through the lush garden, packed with trees and stones, at the end of which lies the tearoom. The walk through the garden serves as an opportunity to practice mindfulness and to “leave the mundane world and have an opportunity to relax and free their minds from worldly matters” (Sōshitsu XV 389). In his book, Zen Buddhism and its Relation to Art, Arthur Waley writes that “Zen aims at the annihilation of consciousness” (Waley 22). By walking a predetermined path through natural elements, the approach to the tearoom creates an environment that removes the need for guests to exercise their minds, and thus can achieve the “annihilation of consciousness” that Waley describes.
Image 2
This image, displaying the exterior of the tearoom shows the influence of Zen Buddhism on the architecture of the tearoom. The tearoom is a plain and simple structure, but is also designed to look natural in its lush setting. In thinking of Waley’s aforementioned notion of Zen aiming to annihilate consciousness, a plain exterior, resembling the natural surroundings could achieve this. There is nothing complicated or distracting to look at. The exterior of the tearoom presents itself as very modest and natural, featuring unpainted wooden features and a dark roof that “allow[s] the structure to blend unobtrusively into the surroundings” (Sōshitsu XV 389) and take its place within its natural setting. The idea of existing in nature is a prominent ideal of Zen Buddhism, and helps encourage mindfulness as a part of chanoyu.
Image 3
Pictured above is the entrance to the tearoom, specifically designated for guests to use. In Japanese, this entrance is referred to as nijiriguchi. The opening is only big enough for guests to crawl through. “As they pass through its small doorway one by one, the guests must lower their heads, stimulating feelings of humility and of entering a serene new world” (Wilson 34). The fact that the entryway is so small and guests must bow their heads to enter reflects Zen ideology. The act of bowing one’s head stimulates feelings of modesty and humbleness. To humble oneself aligns with the Zen idea of inner peace and enlightenment through a sense of genuine self.
Image 4
Pictured above is an example of what the interior of the tearoom might look like. Prominent in this photo is the picture alcove, which the host takes careful time to decorate and cater to the specific chanoyu. Guests are encouraged to take a few moments to acknowledge and appreciate the care that went into decorating the alcove. Taking the time to appreciate a simple visual element encourages mindfulness and docs, two Zen practices. Additionally, the picture alcove evolved from a feature in Buddhist temples. Such temples would have “one wall slightly recessed to contain a Buddha statue or sacred picture, in front of which the monks held their discussions and meditational practices, burning a censer and drinking ceremonial tea” (Engel 74). This suggests that not only is the picture alcove taken from Buddhism, but the burning of incense and drinking of tea itself hold significance in Zen practice.
Image 5
The actual practice of the tea ceremony is where a great deal of Zen can be seen. Before Sen no Rikyū, the tea ceremony was something primarily practiced in wealthy areas of Japan. Because of Rikyū’s extensive study of Zen Buddhism, he incorporated its ideals into the tea ceremony, and because of his influence the rest of Japan followed his teachings. In one of his aforementioned quotes, he stated that a tea ceremony is adequate if the tearoom “does not leak water” and the food consumed “suffices to stave off hunger.” Pictured above is a woodblock print from 1897 depicting chanoyu. Despite it being a more modern depiction of chanoyu, far beyond the time of Rikyū, some of the Zen traits are still apparent. For example, the picture alcove can be seen in the far corner of the room with a vase of flowers in it. We can also see the kettle for boiling water and some small food on plates on the ground. The print is very simple and portrays the simple nature that Zen and chanoyu aim to embody.
Legacy
In his book, Zen and Japanese Culture, Daisetz Suzuki writes: “[Sen no Rikyū] is the founder of the art of tea as it is practiced in Japan today, and every teamaster gets his or her certificate as qualified for the profession from the hands of Rikyū’s descendants” (Suzuki 317). While the art of tea may not be as commonly practiced or as widely appreciated, those who still practice chanoyu idolize and study Rikyū and his Zen Buddhist inspired way of tea.
Works cited
Engel, Heino. Measure and construction of the Japanese house. Tuttle Publishing, 1985. ProQuest, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/conncoll/detail.action?docID=2028879. Accessed 6 Dec 2023.
Sōshitsu XV, Sen. “Chadō: The Way of Tea.” Japan Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 4, 1983, pp. 388-394. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/1304287552?pq-origsite=primo&accountid=10255&imgSeq=1#. Accessed 3 Dec 2023.
Sōshitsu XV, Sen. The Japanese Way of Tea: From Its Origins in China to Sen Rikyu. Translated by V. Dixon Morris, University of Hawaii Press, 1997. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wqqc8. Accessed 5 Dec 2023.
Suzuki, Daisetz T. Zen and Japanese Culture. Princeton University Press, 2018. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc77449. Accessed 7 Dec 2023.
Waley, Arthur. Zen Buddhism and its relation to art. London, Luzac, 1922.
Wilson, Daniel. “The Japanese Tea Ceremony and Pancultural Definitions of Art.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 76, no. 1, 2018, pp. 33-44. Oxford University Press Journals, https://academic.oup.com/jaac/article/76/1/33/5981298?login=true. Accessed 3 Dec 2023.
