When you think of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, what comes to your mind? Do you think of green tea served in bowls in a peaceful and Zen-like setting? Well, you’d most likely be correct. Contrary to the tea times of Western civilizations, Japanese tea ceremonies are unique, influenced by Zen Buddhism, and have been practicing the same traditional ceremony as early as the ninth century.

This article will look at the components of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, where they started, how they’ve grown in popularity since inception, and the steps taken to perform your traditional tea ceremony.

“The ceremony is a way of worshipping the beautiful and the simple. All one’s efforts are concentrated on trying to achieve perfection through the imperfect gestures of daily life.” - Okakuro Kazuko

In Japan, the tea ceremony reflects contemporary culture influenced by Buddhist principles and traditions passed down for centuries. Since the ninth century, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony has become an important activity in Japanese life.

Ceremonies can be formal or informal. The tea that is served is a mixture of matcha (green tea powder) and water. In a formal ceremony, no more than five guests may attend, a meal is served, and the entire ceremony can last for four hours!

In the ninth century, Japanese tea drinking first showed up when the Buddhist monk Eichū served tea that he brought back from China to the Emperor Saga. By the following year, the Emperor had ordered the cultivation of tea leaves in Japan.

Powdered green tea was introduced in Japan in the twelfth century and soon became the preferred tea to drink in Japan. The traditional Japanese tea ceremony that we know today was not incorporated into tea drinking until the fourteenth century.

Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies are held in rooms called chashitsu, or detached spaces built specifically for this purpose. In western culture, they are referred to as tea houses. 

In a formal ceremony, guests must wait outside the tea house until they are invited to enter. Once the hostess has made the invitation, the guest will bow, remove their footwear, and cleanse their hands and face in a water-filled stone basin. 

The guests then enter the chashitsu and are served a meal followed by sake. Once the meal is finished, the guests exit the room and wait outside while the hostess clears the meal. When the guests re-enter the tea house, the hostess will ritually cleanse all of the tea equipment in front of the guests and pour a thick tea into one bowl. 

The first guest will bow to the hostess and take a sip, wiping the area where they have drunk from on the bowl. The second guest will now bow to the first guest and take a sip from the bowl, repeating the ritual until each guest has drunk from the tea bowl. 

After the thick tea step has been completed, the guests are served thin tea and other refreshments, signifying the change of a formal ceremony into a more casual atmosphere. 

Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies may vary depending on the time of day or the time of year and whether or not it is a formal or informal ceremony.