The following is an article I submitted to JCU Voice. Enjoy!
Most Singaporeans are unaware of the fact that in the heart of the
metropolitan city lies the Urasenke Chado Centre, a quaint little Japanese chashitsu (tea room) for people who
enjoy tea and are interested in learning Chado
(also read as Sado), "the Japanese way of tea". Elusively
hidden in a corner on the second floor of Liang Court, it is the first tea room
based in Singapore under the prestige Urasenke Japanese Tea Ceremony School.
Before I proceed to recount the experience of attending a tea gathering, I
would like to share some background information about this highly refined
culture from Japan. According to the official website of Chado Urasenke
Tankokai Singapore Association (2011):
Chado is one of Japan's cultural
traditions and a comprehensive cultural practice that embraces the arts,
religion, and social life. In the 12th century, the original form of green tea
was brought to Japan from China. In the 16th century, Sen Rikyu developed the
philosophical and artistic principles of Chado. Not only were they
the foundation of the style of Chado as we know it today,
but Chado based on their key elements also had a profound
influence on a wide spectrum of Japan's tradition.
Usucha (thin tea) and hanging kettle on the ro (built-in hearth)
‘4 Seasons Tea Gathering’ uses each season as their themes and are
conducted 4 times starting with Spring, the symbol of everything's beginning.
Themes are important for they become the founding cornerstones in a tea
ceremony, from the interior décor of the tea room and flower arrangement right
down to the type of tea and tea bowls that are used to serve the guests. Upon
my arrival, all the 15 guests were invited into the tearoom to be seated
traditional wooden floor lined with tatami
(bamboo mats) where we wait for our tea gathering session to
begin. The moment I stepped in, the entire tea room exuded a Zen, peaceful
and relaxing ambience with its minimalistic interior. There is a tokonoma (alcove) with a calligraphy
scroll displaying the words "Heart of Dragon" in Kanji,
the adapted logographic Chinese characters used in Japanese writing system.
Besides the scroll, the alcove also had a chabana
(flower arrangement) of petite pink orchids to replace the sakura blossoms and
an incense container in the shape of a boat resting on a small piece of folded chakin (white linen). Situated at the
northwest corner from the entrance of the tea room was a hanging kettle on top
of a ro (built-in hearth). There are
also shouji (screen doors) to the
west where it leads to the mizuya, a preparation room also known as
the water room.
Hanging scroll, flower arrangement and incense container.
The shouji of the mizuya opened
and a hostess with a water container shuffled gracefully towards the hearth
before putting it at her side as she assumed the seiza posture,
. While it was not compulsory for guests to follow suit, my attempt in
maintaining the seiza posture only lasted for half an hour
before my legs gave way to the pain and numbness. A hostess or host is
expected to be seated in seiza during the entire ceremony,
which can take up to 4 hours and it usually takes years of practice for
one to be accustomed to the pain. We were served with red bean paste jelly as
the accompanying dessert while the hostess proceeded to lay out and arrange the
tea ceremony utensils. With all of them in an exact arrangement in front of
our hostess, she started making tea immediately in swift, fluid yet graceful
movements. She cleaned all the utensils in a precise ritual using designated
motions and proceeded to whisk the mixture of matcha (green tea powder) and hot water using a chasen (tea whisk). The tea mixture is first prepared by our
hostess scooping matcha powder from a natsume (tea caddy), which is a small matcha powder container made out of lacquered cherry wood in deep
reddish maroon. One cannot just scoop the matcha powder using an average
teaspoon so our hostess used a tool called the chasaku, a tea
scoop made out of sakura tree wood. Next, hot water is poured into the primary
chawan (tea bowl), using the hishaku, a water ladle made out
of bamboo.
Red bean paste jelly
Being seated exactly in front of the hostess granted me the
privilege of having the first bowl of koicha
(thick tea). A thick tea contains a higher ratio of matcha powder to water, resulting in slightly viscous consistency and
a bitter aftertaste. When the hostess finished preparing my tea, another
hostess came forward to serve it to me with a bow. In accordance to the
customs, I received the bowl of koicha
with a returning bow and proceeded to turn the bowl clockwise twice with my
right hand before sipping it. The sweetness left by the red bean paste jelly
complemented very well with the fragrant and slightly bitter koicha. It was an honour to be served
the first bowl of tea with the prized chawan
(tea bowl) from Kyoto. To commemorate the year of the Dragon, the chawan selected for the first bowl of
tea had dragon-themed patterns and motifs on its exterior. It is customary for
guests to appreciate the chawan after
they finish their tea and pass it on for the other guests to admire at as well.
Shortly after our first bowl of tea, a host came out of the mizuya and started explaining to us the
significance of the tea room’s interior décor, the meaning of the Kanji characters on the hanging scroll
and the reason in their choice of flower arrangement for this particular
gathering.
-koicha-hearth.JPG)
-koicha-hearth.JPG)
Primary chawan (tea bowl) and hishaku (bamboo ladle)
The guests were encouraged to ask questions and engage in
conversations with the host or other participants about chado in order to gain more insight into the culture. While we were
discussing and exchanging comments with the host, the second bowl of tea, usucha (thin tea), was served to us.
Compared to koicha, usucha is more diluted with a much
lighter and milder flavor. Before we know it, our one hour session of tea
gathering was reaching an end. They gave us brochures containing necessary information
on how to join the Urasenke association as a member and also schedules of chado lessons. Taking part in such
halcyon activity was a truly gratifying experience. Shall I be granted another
opportunity to attend a tea ceremony, I will not hesitate to take up such a
marvelous opportunity. There is so much to be learned from this traditional
culture and I hope this article shed some clarity on how beautiful it is. The
tradition is a hidden gem amongst other traditions in Japan, and I sincerely
hope that this article may have brought awareness and sparked interests. It is
easy to be carried away by busy modern lifestyle, and you may be swarmed by
tasks and to-do's, but this art of tea offers a brief but very soothing refuge
from all the daily stress that surrounds us.
Contact information:
Chado Urasenke Tankokai Singapore Association
177 River Valley Road #02-11 Liang Court, Singapore 179030
177 River Valley Road #02-11 Liang Court, Singapore 179030
Tel: 63344175 (not available on Thursdays and Sundays)
course@chadourasenketankokaisg.com (Enquiry about Beginner’s Course)
