Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese traditional tea ceremony is like an elegant dance of our body, mind and soul. It is not about making tea.  We are there to cherish time, space and our companies - "the very moment of encounter".

WAY OF TEA

Japanese Tea Ceremony, (茶道)  Way of Tea is a ritual of preparation and presentation of tea making with “Matcha” (the finest green tea powder).  

It is a cultural, spiritual and social activity practiced in Japan, based on the philosophy of Zen Buddhism.

It is a practice and discipline to quiet our mind, empty our thoughts, totally be in the present moment to appreciate the time and space – Ichi Go Ichi E (一期一会), this very occasion will happen only once.  We humbly become a part of nature  as we celebrate the season.   Every item we use in the tea ceremony represents its season, from the teacups, flower, art to Kimono we wear. 

The sound of a raindrop can be a beautiful addition to the moment.

These four principles are the center of the tea ceremony 

harmony (和 wa)  

respect (敬 kei)  

purity (清 sei) 

tranquility (寂 jaku)

The tea ceremony is not taught by a book.  It is to be learned by the heart.

Every movement of preparing tea is like a flow of the dance.  It is not a perfected traditional ritual but creating the silence within and out.  

In the silence, we discover all.

HISTORY

Japanese tea drinking started in the 9th century and evolved and developed into a process of personal spiritual transformation practice.

In the 16th century, Sen no Rikyu, the master, has perfected it to the Tea ceremony rituals  “Way of Tea” and spread to the society in Japan with the philosophy “Ichi go Ichi e “   One meeting, one time - to appreciate fully in the present moment, as this moment will never happen again.

PROCESS

The host will prepare the room.  Simply place the art and flower arrangement that represents the season.

Guests come in and all will be seated.

The host will clean all the utensils to purify - guests will watch in silence, 

Tea will be made

The host will serve sweets and tea. Guests will receive tea and drink.

All the movements are like a dance. It hasn’t changed for 500 years.

It is not a perfection of traditional rituals but simply to transcend and unite with the soul by freeing our mind and all intellectual conceptual thoughts.

WABI -SABI

This is a space of acceptance.

This is a space of no judgment.

There is no perfection or imperfection

There is no past or future.

Three is no beauty or ugliness

There is no right or wrong

There is no name or title

In the space of now, we hold nothing. Just pure self

The aesthetics and definition of wabi-sabi is the state of our mind which can embrace all as it is in the now without any judgment and cherish its essence.

In the eyes of WabiSabi, there is no imperfect or perfect.  Only the truth exist.

Seeing the truth without conceptual thoughts and judgment.

WORKSHOPS & LECTURES

To find out more about tea ceremony and the philosophy behind, the followings are available;

- One hour and half course (Private & Group) at Japanese Salon, Bussum The Netherlands.

- Lectures / Talks / Seminar 

- Online session 

- Yasuragi Retreat (2 hours of Inner peace with Tea Ceremony & Calligraphy) 

The above sessions are taught and performed by Azumi Uchitani.

Azumi's way of Tea

I have practiced Omote Senke style, the traditional Tea ceremony in Wakayama, Japan under my life time master who is now 78 years old. Being encouraged by my master, here in the Netherlands, I started sharing the experience of tea ceremony and teaching its very essence in a way we can adopt to our daily life,  inviting all walks of life, from school children to corporate executives. I use the Bontemae method in which we can enjoy on the table. 

The very essence of tea ceremony is the inner peace in our heart, creating harmony in our inner world and outer world. 

With the silence we create, we become more peace and more compassionate to ourselves and to others.

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