茶味　Origin of the tea ceremony 2

After all, the tea ceremony was thought to have been put together by Rikyu.
Anyone who talked about the tea ceremony came to say "Rikyu" anyway.However, it was by his master Jōo Takeno and his disciple Munehira Namnbou who made the tea ceremony a great success for Rikyu.Therefore, in order to explain the tea ceremony,  it is absolutely necessary to consider the questions and answers of these three masters and pupilsShuko Murata, who is generally referred to as the founder of the tea ceremony, brought back the tea ceremony to Japan and spread it.

His childhood name was Mokichi Murata.He lived in Nanto Shomyo-ji Temple*, and from around the age of 30 he was a priest Ikkyu of Murasakino Daitoku-ji Temple*.

Shomyo-ji TempleCurrent Nara City Honzon Amida Nyorai
Established May 15, 1265　Special exhibition of the main hall and tea room only for Jukomu

Priest  Ikkyu A monk of the Daitokuji school of the Rinzai sect of Sojun Ikkyu. He is said to be the son of Emperor Gokomatsu.Daitokuji Temple (Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto City)Having received the trust of Ikkyu Osho, he received the calligraphy of Sono Gozen*, hung it in his hermitage, offered incense and flowers to the Buddha, boiled water, made tea, and was a like-minded friend. Invited Sogo Yotsuya, Sochin Jushiya, and others, and gave discourses, elegant stories, and interesting stories.He took the tea ceremony away from the hustle and bustle of the world. And strengthened correctly the politeness and respect, acted and practiced, and allowed people to interact with each other. Moreover, he also compiled a book called 'The Way of Tea' and gave it to the Zen Master.Juko is said to be the one who led the tea ceremony into the art of gotou (*), the art of realizing the truth and essence of Buddhism. From this, Juko's tencha was no longer just a tea ceremony at this time. Gotou's technique had already been added to his manners.Joo first learned poetry from Sanjo Sanetaka(*1), then followed Juko after hearing about the elegance of the tea ceremony, and followed Sochin and Sogo to accumulate and master the deep knowledgement. Furthermore, it is said that he studied Zen under the Kogaku Soko Osho(*2).Therefore, we should not forget that Joo's tea has the foundation of poetry, the correct manners, and the flavor of Zen.

People were misled by works of art from overseas, mainly from China, which were decorated in the form of goshidai-kazari and shoin-kazari. It was generally accepted that utensils should be unusual, flashy, and gorgeous. 

In response to this, Joo changed the standard of tea utensils, made the quality clean and neat, simplified decoration, devised sou's tea utensils(*), and adopted sou tatami mats. As a result, I decided on a taste of sou tea and loved this one.In Joo's mind, which caused such a change in value, it was more in the change of mind that was motivated by the utensils than in the utensils themselves.This trend has swallowed up Chinese culture whole, and has opened up a new trend in the way of decoration, which had been haphazardly decorated without center or order.Both Joo and Rikyu called the tea ceremony based on this mindset Wabicha.Joo read the poetry (*1) of wabicha's mind as following,If you look around, you can see the autumn sunset of Keriura no Tomaya without flowers or autumn leaves*When you look around, you can't see the beautiful blooming flowers or the splendid autumn leaves. What a dreary autumn evening, with only the humble fishermen's huts on the beach.Taking over as it is, this is an explanation of the tea ceremony, and what is the tea ceremony?He says, 'It's a technique outside the kata of Isshin Tokudo.'Rikyu, who studied under Joo, first learned tea from Ian. Yian was a person who followed in the footsteps of Noami and was well versed in tea from the aspect of ceremony (manners).Rikyu added Joo's heart tea to the tea of this etiquette of Ikian, and as a result, wabicha was perfected. That is how I came to understand the simple truth of heaven and earth, "The more the house does not leak, the more food does not starve."n that simple life, in other words, in a life of Chisoku Anbun (knowing one's sufficiency and being satisfied with one's circumstances) that is not tainted by material desires,I planned to open a pure, deceptive and evil-minded state.Waiting only for flowersIf you show the spring of the grass between the snow in the mountain village of peopleI want to show people who are waiting for spring (without flowers yet to come) that spring has come even to the young grass that sprouts slightly between the snow piled up in the mountains.With a poem by Fujiwara no Teika, I enjoyed the preciousness of the heart that finally appeared after leaving the world of material desires.He opened his eyes more clearly to this aspect of psychology, and "Rikyu's technique" reached "Rikyu's way." However, after taking the taste of Zen one step deeper.Thus Rikyu avoided the bad habit of severing himself from worldly affairs, to which those who followed this path were particularly prone, and aimed only at the life of a noble heart.When a worthy person asked Rikyu what the secrets of the tea ceremony were, he said, "Keep the summer cool, the winter warm, the charcoal boiling hot, and the tea delicious. This is it. And there are no secrets," he replied.He said that the life of the mind should not be in a state of detachment from the world, but in the act itself of ordinary times.The guest was taken aback and said, "If that's the case, everyone should understand."Rikyu“In that case, please hold a tea party that meets the heart I just mentioned.If I participate as a guest, and if I understand the rules properly, I will become your disciple from now on. ”they said.It's easy for a three-year-old child to understand, but it's not something even an eighty-year-old man can do. There is nothing more powerful than the spark of a precious heart that can make a strong impression.However, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ran out of territory to give to his meritorious vassals, he invented the alternative method of handing out tea utensils.This is the so-called communion (receiving a vessel from a noble person).In this way, tea utensils became very valuable treasures, and became tools that aroused an obsession, such as wanting to keep them even if they exchanged them for territory. In addition, the method of decoration and handling, such as decoration and treatment of communion (tea ceremony ceremony), was also thought out.The tea ceremony, which has become pure and simple,In this way, tea utensils became very valuable treasures, and became tools that aroused an obsession, such as wanting to keep them even if they exchanged them for territory. In addition, the method of decoration and handling, such as decoration and treatment of communion (tea ceremony ceremony), was also thought out.A year after Rikyu's suicide with a sword, Soukei lived a sober life for Rikyu's death and abandoned the hermitage. Then I disappeared.Tokugawa Ieyasu, who succeeded Toyotomi Hideyoshi, used the tea ceremony as a policy.

That is to say, they made a lot of efforts to build their houses, and they began to compete with each other for rare and strange things, which further encouraged tinkering with antiques.During this time, the basic spirit of the tea ceremony was gradually forgotten.Those who learn needlessly imitate the ends of the form, and the tea has already departed from everyday life, and those who yearn for a life of virtue (a life of dignity)He came to abhor this, admonishing that

"Those who play with tea will lose their family."However, if you taste it carefully, the teachings of the tea ceremony are a life of dignity that should be cherished and cherished.

This precious light was covered, and the precious traces were buried. The tea ceremony has been reduced to a peculiar pastime, with an emphasis on tinkering with antiques and characterized entirely by secret oral traditions.However, to wash away the bad habits that have lost their original face and learn the true truth (supreme truth) of the tea ceremony that will become the basis of life,In today's chaotic world,

I believe we can gain precious light and strength to know how to live.