“Green tea is good for your health because it is a strong anti-oxidant,”
Ohka-Sensei, the leader of the tea ceremony, informs the audience gathered before her. “It can make you more energetic, smarter and more youthful. I drink three or four cups of green tea a day, because of this, you cannot tell my age but I am in fact a centenarian,” she adds the last part with a straight face but the playful tone in her voice and the clear truth behind the statement trigger chuckles and continued jokes from the audience members.
Green tea was brought to Japan from Tang, China in 806 and cultivated by a Buddhist temple in what is present day Uda City. At the time, green tea was used almost exclusively for medicine and was only available to the most well-to-do members of society. In the 13th century the practice of drinking green tea for pleasure was introduced from China and by the 16th century green tea was available to people from all walks of life. It was also in the 16th century that the tea ceremony concept and practice of ichi-go ichi-e, still practiced today, was proliferated by tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu. Ichi-go ichie means, “treasure each meeting for it can never be reproduced.” To facilitate this, Sen no Rikyu practiced and encouraged the creation of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility in his tea ceremonies. Those four principles remain a key part of the tea ceremony today.
A traditional tea ceremony, ideally, takes place in specialized tea houses or tea rooms with woven thrush tatami mat floors, a hearth built into the floor, a tokonoma alcove for hanging scrolls and separate entrances for the host and his or her guests. Both guests and the host sit in a kneeling “seiza” position on the floor while the ceremony takes place. Guests are also served a sweet with their tea to enhance and reference its flavor. The utensils used to prepare the tea, the accompanying sweet and the decorations of the venue all change to suit and acknowledge the season. The low ceilings and narrow entry ways of many traditional tea ceremony rooms made carrying and using a samurai sword impractical creating an environment in which even hostile parties could meet, converse and carry out negotiations without fear of conflict.
The Nara Visitor Center & Inn hosts an informal tea ceremony every Wednesday from 2pm until 4pm. Attendees sit in regular chairs, rather than on the floor, but locally grown green tea powder and authentic tea ceremony utensils are used in the preparation and brewing of the tea. Organic locally made sweets accompany the tea. Once everyone has been served a cup of tea brewed by the experts, guests are then invited to try their hand at making matcha themselves.
Ready to make your first cup?