Sip some tea

So how was yesterday ?? It was a terribly rainy day in Mumbai and yours truly became the victim of waterlogging & stagnant traffic. Don’t know what will happen when the rains come down harder!! Managed to convince the cabbie to drop me somewhere near home. As I started working, cups & cups of hot tea were gulped down to keep myself warm – it wasn’t too pleasant to come wading through dirty water you see. And then as I sat slurping on the evening tea, my eyes nearly shutting because of unexplained exhaustion (actually could be the exhaustion of sitting in a cab which was in water).. I suddenly thought of the elaborate Japanese tea ceremony. Don’t ask me why .. I just thought of it..

My father had once visited Japan and had witnessed this ceremony. Returning home he had obviously very proudly narrated the stories to us. I remember him saying how he was ably guided by his friend in this entire performance. Oh yes, even guests have to abide by certain norms!! Out here the only norm I would follow is not pouring the chai on to my saucer & sipping from there ... heh heh ..

Apparently this ceremony is deeply influenced by Zen Buddishm - honestly didn’t understand much of what this meant when dad narrated it with all gravity. But it sounded very ..well .. exotic.

I loved the photo of the beautiful host in her pink kimono – that’s anyways my favourite colour and dad had even got back a cute pink kimono for me. Oh by the way, dad and his friends had to go in formal wear. That just goes to show how somber the ceremony is. I do recall dad uncomfortably sitting down (that’s coz he cant sit on the floor) with a forced grin on his face on straw mats (tatami) in a room with very simple décor and light brownish walls. Oh yes he did have to leave his shoes outside – well but of course, if you have to sit on the tatami that’s most logical and clean. Yup even the conversation was minimal and my usually boisterous dad & his group of equally enthusiastic friends had to consciously control their emotions, if I may say so. But they simply loved the ambience with the gentle fragrance .. I still remember that that description had excited me much more than the ceremony itself.

Much to his delight, the ceremony started with guests being given sweets to eat (or was it some sweet cake) – my dad has a special weakness for sweets .. heh heh heh. Well he was sure zapped by the wide assortment of tea paraphernalia (chadōgu) that was used. No hoping here that tea would be ready in a jiffy.. ha ha dad you had to be patient then.

And dad had shown snaps taken in proud detail of the tea equipment that is used. I had been awed as a child to see all those photos. And to wonder that here we use a simple vessel and teapot where as there even a simple tea ceremony translates into an elaborate performance !! Yet again could not recall all the names that dad had mentioned. So thought of turning to the ever-helpful internet to get the Japanese names. Let me jot down those equipments which I could recall & that I found on the net.

Special white linen/hemp cloth called “chakin” were first used to wipe all the utensils in a specific order and dad later understood, in a specified manner of hand movements too !! What would I have done with my clumsy and quick wiping of “tea equipment” that I use … heh heh. They are even placed in a specific order – yeah that’s more believable. No wonder dad loved this part, given his penchant for placing cutlery around the dining plate in the perfect “British’ format.

They use powdered green tea leaves called matcha, which are stored in tea caddies. Even tea caddies have 2 variants – the natsume, used for thin tea (usucha) and the chaire, used for thick tea (koicha). Natsume are short with a flat lid and rounded bottom, and are usually made of lacquered or untreated wood while the latter is tall and thin, usually made of ceramic with have ivory lids with gold leaf undersides.

Measured amount the tea powder was placed in the tea bowls using tea scoops (chashaku) carved from a single piece of bamboo and then hot water was poured on to it. Ok much like how I prepare tea. But not like stirring it in pre-defined motions with tea whisks (chasen), again carved from a single piece of bamboo!! Even the whisks would be thick or thin depending on the consistency of the tea.

The tea bowls (chawans) can also mesmerize you with their range of styles & sizes – different styles used depending on whether you are drinking thick or thin tea, shallow bowls for summer & deep ones for the cold winters. Hmmm … I guess I am ok with my all-weather tea-cup.

Anyways the host had bowed to dad and placed the bowl in dad’s hands. Poor thing was just about to take a sip when his experienced friend came to his rescue. He was told to bow back to her and to drink from the “back”side of the cup – now he never did know that cups also have backside & front side. But then realized that some protrusions were there on the cup which was the “front” .. if I recall correctly.

After tea, the host cleaned the utensils .. needless to say in a pre-defined way. Dad was told that these tea ceremony tools are reverentially treated and are handled with extreme care. Not only are they thoroughly cleaned before and after each use, some of them are even handled only with gloved hands!! Well for all the cribbing that my bai might have about me asking her to be extra careful with tea cups, I think I should narrate these stories to her.

Then dad & friends were handed over some of the antique utensils .. to look at. Oh yeah, he held them with a special cloth – he had described it to me but I just cant remember the name. The host bows to them as they leave – and that my friends is the end of the tea ceremony. Whew …. What amount of training must be going into it. Am all set for a holiday to Japan .. to see the orchids, buy a kimono or two and of course to partake of a tea ceremony ..