Way of Tea
August - September 2011
Sen Rikyu preached humility and social equality through the use of simple implements.
Whisking matcha in an earthenware bowl.
Cast iron sake pourer with lid of porcelain with blue underglaze
Tea Bowl named after the Noh play The Tipster Sprite; Tokowaka (Eternal Youth) tea scoop by tea master Höunsai Sen Söshitsu XV (Genshitsu, 1923-).
Photos from the Urasenke Foundation Collection courtesy Honolulu Academy of Arts
Exhibit Showcases Pieces from the Urasenke Foundation
Photography By Mark Arbeit
Although the rituAlized wAy of tea as practiced by the Urasenke Foundation appears to be steeped in ancient history, the ideas introduced by tea master Sen Rikyu five centuries ago were nothing less than a revolutionary departure from earlier traditions.
Implements from the Urasenke Museum in Kyoto and from the Honolulu Academy of Arts collection are on view in The Way of Tea: An Exhibition Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Urasenke Tankokai Hawaii Association, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts through Oct. 2.
Shawn Eichman, curator of Asian Art for the academy, says the philosophy behind the way of tea remains relevant today with Urasenke promoting the tea ceremony as one path toward world peace.
In that spirit, the foundation, presided over by Rikyu’s descendant, 16th grand teamaster Zabosai Shositsu Sen XVI, has established 92 chapters in 32 countries with the belief that man cannot quarrel with those with whom they share a cup of tea.
Five centuries ago, chado was a practice restricted in Japan to its Imperial Court. The teas and implements of the tea ceremony were imported from China, made from the finest high-fired, high-glazed porcelain. These were luxuries that would have been prohibitive for common individuals to purchase.
The ceremony was associated with connoisseurship and was highly stratified, with individuals’ places at a table and service dependent on one’s status in the court or society.
At the heart of Sen Rikyu’s philosophy was the idea of social equality and humility, expressed through four words: wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity) and jaku (tranquility).
His tearoom was accessed through a small opening that required guests to crawl through, bringing all to the same low level. He reveled in the simplest of implements and rough earthenware tea bowls made with low-fire raku techniques, admiring the colors of nature and imperfections of the resulting ceramic ware.
Hawai’i is home to four Urasenke tearooms, which offer instruction to tea enthusiasts and the next generation of cultural practitioners. One is on the University of Hawai’i at Manoa campus, available to students of Japanese studies; another is in the Japanese Cultural Center of Honolulu in Moiliili; and the Hilo chapter tearoom is in Liliuokalani Garden.
The foundation’s relationship with Hawai’i dates to the 1950s, when 15th generation grand master of Urasenke, Hounsai Genshitsu Sen (Soshitsu XV), lived here to attend the University of Hawai’i. Dr. Genshitsu Sen and Soshitsu Sen both chose historic chado articles for the exhibition, including many created by previous grand masters. On view are rare bowls dating to the time of Sen Rikyu, to 20th century works.
Eichman says for the 16th century court, Rikyu’s humble, equalizing methods likely came as a relief from the restrictions associated with their social roles. In addition, Eichman says Rikyu brought principles of Zen Buddhism and meditation to the ceremony to bring calm to those in distress.
“Much of the 16th century was characterized by wars. What Sen Rikyu did was respond to the frenzy of modern life with an attitude of calm and focus.”
Part of that focus was characterized by the arts. “Ceramics, flower arranging, calligraphy, poetry- they all came together within the tea ceremony to create a single unified aesthetic, with attention to the smallest detail, like the preparation of woods selected for the fire,” he says.
Inside the Urasenke Foundation of Hawai’i tearoom in Waikiki, visitors are able to partake in this tradition, with rituals performed just as they were more than 450 years ago.
The ceremony begins with a hostess purifying each of the tea utensils in hot water. Guests are served individually, in turn, with tea bowls in which matcha green tea powder is gently whisked with water boiled on the spot over a charcoal burner. Guests reward the host by taking time to admire the craftsmanship of the bowl, and therefore, the host’s good taste and manners in presenting the finest wares for their use.
For the academy, the goal is the same as Sen Rikyu’s: Getting people to slow down and take the time to focus, contemplate and enjoy the experience and wares set before them, rather than stopping for a mere 6 seconds-the average time spent before a piece of museum art-and moving on.
