As SJMC Japan participated in the Koto Tea Ceremony for the first time in Kyoto, many would describe their experience as relaxing or exciting.
During our time there, we learned proper tea etiquette before you drink the tea. Tea Master Rie Kuranaka taught everyone the importance of tea ceremonies and the significance behind them. If you ever plan on attending a tea ceremony, here are some things you should know before participating in this sacred practice.
Before you sit down
Traditionally, before you step inside for the ceremony, you must take off your shoes and then place them in a designated area, as well as placing personal items such as bags and hats in the designated area since it would be considered rude to wear or keep those items with you during the ceremony. Be sure to also sit six to away inches away from the black line so that there will be enough room for your snack and tea.
The snack you will be given
The snack we were given was a ginger bar, grown from Kuranaka’s farm north of Kyoto. This snack is given during the summertime to show that the season is changing. When you receive this treat, it will normally come in a sheet of paper with a small wooden stick beneath the paper so that you can eat it properly. This is given first before the tea, and sometimes it is polite to finish the ginger bar to show that you enjoyed it.
The tea given before you drink the tea
The tea that is mainly served during this ceremony is matcha. The special meaning behind matcha tea signifies the social bond among your loved ones around you and helps you relax and not worry about the outside world.
As you are given the tea, you cannot just go straight into drinking it. There are a couple of steps you must follow before even grabbing the cup and drinking. Depending on where you are sitting, you always want to say these three things if you are sitting next to the person to the left to inform them that you are going to drink your tea and apologize for going before them. The things you would say and do before you drink your tea is first to place your hands on the tatatmi mat in front of you with a bow. To the person on your right, you say, “I will join you.” Then, you continue with another bow to the person on your left and say, “Forgive me for going before you.” Lastly, you bow to the middle and say “Thank you for the tea.”
Grabbing your bowl of tea
Before you drink your tea, you must grab and hold your tea a certain way. Since the tea is in front of you, you have to grab the bowl with your right hand and place the bowl on your left palm. The design located in the front of the bowl must be shown so you must simply turn your bowl counterclockwise to show everyone the design.
Each design holds a very special message. For example, one of the bowls that the students had depicted a painting of a flying swan which represents freedom.
After you present the design to everyone ,you are free to start drinking your tea and enjoy the company of your peers. When you finish, you must make a certain slurping sound to indicate that you are done with your tea. You then wipe the rim of the bowl with your finger to clean off any excess tea that may have been left on the rim.
After you clean the rim, you turn the design of the bowl back to its original direction so you rotate the bowl clockwise with your right hand so that the design can face you. Then you bring the bowl gently to the floor and wait for everyone else to be done. And that’s it!
Fun fact about our tea master
Tea Master Kuranaka discussed the importance of a tea master and how long it took for her to train and become a tea master. She said that it took her about 10 years to become a tea master and what’s jaw-dropping is that she also mentions that she was the youngest student compared to her other peers who were being taught who are usually above the age of 60 years old, which is fascinating. Though it took her a while to accomplish this goal, she is truly grateful to have fulfilled this passion and would rather become a full-time tea master than go back to her old desk job.
So if you ever wondered what it is like to participate in a tea ceremony in Japan, then you should follow these exact steps to have some knowledge of proper ceremony etiquette before you go in!
