The Japanese Tea Ceremony of Cha-no-yu has its roots in ancient China, where tea was a rare and valuable commodity. Chinese poets called it the "froth of jade." Buddhist monks extolled tea's medicinal virtues, while drinking it to prevent drowsiness during long periods of meditation.
The ceremony itself follows a strict code of etiquette, although this code differs according to the various schools of Chanoyu. All the movements of the tea master and his guests are prescribed by strict guidelines and all aspects of the Tea Ceremony are meant to help the participants surrender their attachments to the outside and material world and to concentrate on the Zen ideals of self-knowledge, harmony, and balance.
VIDEOS
There are two videos on this page about the Japanese tea ceremony.
The first video shows a traditional Japanese tea ceremony demonstration held in 2008 in Kanazawa, Japan. The speaker explains each of the steps that the host is going through during the event. She is also talking about the significance of the various utensils being used as well as the hand motions of the host.
The second video talks about the most basic utensils used in the Japanese tea ceremony which includes the bon (tray), fukusa (silk cloth), natsume (tea container), chasen (bamboo whisk for stirring tea), chashaku (bamboo scoop), chakin (white cloth for cleaning tea bowl), and chawan (tea bowl).
