Sen no Rikyu was one such tea wizard. He was a master of tea under both daimyos Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. Incorporating elements of wabi-sabi, Rikyu mastered the art of the tea ceremony. Because of this, Rikyu is consistently ranked as one of Japan’s top ten historical figures alongside the likes of Sakamoto Ryoma.

The Magic Man is Born

Rikyu is considered to be the most influential historical figure on the Japanese way of tea. He was the first to really emphasize several key pillars of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach, and honesty of self. This was most likely due to the Zen training he received as a young man.

Born in 1522 in Osaka prefecture, Rikyu lived a fairly normal life until his teens when he decided to change Japan’s relationship with tea forever. Not much is known about his early and middle years other than his deciding to study tea under Kitamuki Dochin and Takeno Joo, both respectable tea wizards in their own right. He also married around the age of twenty-one. But that’s not important. Let’s get back to the tea.

It’s Tea Time

Right around the ripe old age of sixty, things start to get serious for Rikyu. He was a tea master for Nobunaga, and after Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582, Rikyu became a tea master for Hideyoshi. This was a pretty big deal, as the daimyos of Japan were like, super important. Rikyu and Hideyoshi really hit it off, and soon Rikyu was practically in charge of everything having to do with tea ceremonies.

With his newly granted tea wizard powers, Rikyu started to form the tea ceremony as we know it today. He started to make use of very tiny and rustic tea rooms, some even as small as two tatami mats. He also implemented flower containers, teascoops, and bamboo lid rests. He really enjoyed using everyday objects for tea ceremonies, often in new and novel fashions.

Rikyu had a preference for simple Japanese-made items rather than the expensive Chinese-made items that were popular at the time. As a result, Rikyu collaborated with Raku Chojiro to make Raku teabowls, pictured above.

Rikyu was heavily responsible for working wabi-sabi (finding beauty in the very simple, imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete) into the Japanese tea ceremony. Because of this, the popularity of wabi-sabi owes a lot to Rikyu and his developing it into the tea ceremony and the utensils he implemented are still used as the standards today.

The Way of Tea is naught but this:
first you boil water,
then you make the tea and drink it.
-Sen no Rikyu

The Way of Tea was very important to Rikyu. His unique way of life combined everyday aspects of living with the highest spiritual and philosophical tenets. Without any spiritual training, he believed that one could not truly appreciate the tea.

The Tea Ceremony Reborn

A new form of tea ceremony was born from Rikyu. His tea ceremonies were very simple. Simple instruments, simple surroundings. But it was beautiful. Such is the way of wabi-sabi. Rikyu also wrote poetry and practiced ikebana.

Though you wipe your hands and brush off the dust and dirt from the vessels, what is the use of all this fuss if the heart is still impure?
-Sen no Rikyu

Many aspects of the modern Japanese tea ceremony date back to Rikyu’s influence. A tea house that can accommodate five people, a separate tea room where utensils are washed, two entrances (one for the host and one for the guests), and a doorway low enough to make the guests have to bend down and humble themselves before entry were just a handful of Rikyu’s contributions.

Though many people drink tea,
if you do not know the Way of Tea,
tea will drink you up.
-Sen no Rikyu

According to Rikyu there were four fundamental qualities that should be exemplified in a tea ceremony. These qualities are harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. He also believed that these qualities should be exemplified by tea ceremony practitioners in their daily lives. If not, the tea would “drink them up” instead of the other way around.

The Death of Rikyu

Even though Rikyu and Hideyoshi were basically bros for life at this point, Hideyoshi ended up ordering Rikyu to commit seppuku. While the true reasons behind this order remain shrouded in mystery (military related disagreements, arguments over respect, etc), it is known that Rikyu ended his life in Kyoto in 1591.

According to Okakura Kazuko’s Book of Tea, Rikyu’s last wish was to hold a lavish tea ceremony. After serving the guests, he presented them each with a wall scroll and an item from the tea ceremony. The bowl, however, was destroyed by Rikyu. He said, “Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of misfortune, be used by man.” If I was Rikyu, I would have been salty too.

Rikyu’s last words were penned in a death poem that he addressed to the dagger with which he ended his life. The poem is as follows.

Welcome to thee,
O sword of eternity!
Through Buddha
And through Daruma alike
Thou hast cleft thy way.

The Legacy Lives On

A year after Rikyu’s unfortunate death, Hideyoshi remarked that he wished that the new residence he was building would have been pleasing to Rikyu. Hideyoshi was known for his moodiness and was said to have expressed much regret with how he treated Rikyu at the end.

Rikyu’s unique sense of simplistic beauty also left its mark on the world of ceramics, architecture, and design. Not only did he influence the tea ceremony itself, but also the aspects of the tea ceremony that can be extended to other aspects of people’s lives as well as the world around them.

Rikyu’s grave is at Jukoin temple in Kyoto and memorials are observed annually by many Japanese tea ceremony schools. There was also a movie made to honor this great man in 1989. The title of the film is “Rikyu“, and it even won a handful of awards. There are a handful of other movies featuring the man, but “Rikyu” seems to be the most quintessential.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO9lLWJ8QL0']

And if that wasn’t enough, they’re making another movie about Rikyu entitled “Ask This of Rikyu” which comes out in Japan in December of this year.

And for more information about Mr. Rikyu and all things tea ceremony, check out the links at the bottom of the post.

So tell me, have you heard of this mysterious tea wizard before? What do you think about what he’s done for Japan and their tea ceremonies? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Sites Referenced:
Japanese Tea Ceremony Wikipedia
Zen Stories of the Samurai
Japan-101: Sen no Rikyu
Sen no Rikyū Wikipedia

It’s been a little while since the last Baka Gaijin post, but today I’d like to explore the world of Japanese tea ceremonies. For such a simple little ceremony, they can be pretty intimidating and a bit confusing to the uninitiated. Fortunately for you, though, we’ll be learning about some common mistakes and things to avoid in order to prevent yourself from looking like a baka gaijin. So let’s get to it – what does it take to be a baka gaijin at a Japanese tea ceremony?

1. Don’t Wash Up

Sure, there’s an area outside designated for guests to wash their hands and rinse out their mouths with water to clean up and cleanse their palates, but you came here to drink tea, not water. Besides, you already washed your hands earlier today, right? Not like you touched anything that might’ve been dirty on your way here. And besides, the people you’ll be sharing the tea with have no idea how dirty or clean your hands are. Their health is their own problem, not yours.

So if you’re presented with a basin of some sort to cleanse yourself with, just remember this handy phrase: “Baka gaijin da kara, iranai yo,” (バカ外人だから要らないよ). This means, “Please kind sir or madam, I’m a baka gaijin so that’s not necessary, oh ho ho…” This phrase can apply to many different situations, so feel free to use it as you see fit. Your new Japanese friends will be equally impressed with your command of the Japanese language as they are with your impeccable baka gaijinity.

2. Make Yourself Comfy

Upon entering the tea ceremony area, you might see others sitting down seiza style, or perhaps even Indian style. These sitting methods are for babies, so don’t follow their lead. You’re a big, strong, and adult-like baka gaijin, so you need to sit down with purpose. That being said, you’ll want to make sure you sit down sprawled out, taking up as much room as possible, and have your bare feet pointing in the direction of others because, as you might recall from How to be a Baka Gaijin (in the House), sitting like this is a particularly baka gaijin thing to do in any sort of polite setting such as this.

Do you know how long Japanese tea ceremonies last? Way longer than they need to, in your opinion. You just want to eat some snacks, drink some tea, and be on your merry little baka gaijin way. Unfortunately, these tea ceremonies can last up to four hours which is way, way too long for anyone to sit properly and politely for. Might as well just start off sitting comfortably and stay that way instead of putting yourself through all that pain and agony of sitting in seiza the whole time.

3. Gobble Down the Sweets as Soon as They’re Presented

While the tea wizards are doing their magic with the preparation, they’ll present their guests with some sweets to snack on. You should gobble these down as soon as they’re presented instead of waiting politely for them to start making the tea and warming the water and all that other tea magic that you don’t quite understand. You’re a baka gaijin and you have needs. Needs for sweets and no time for waiting. So be sure to gobble them down as soon as possible. It’ll be a good way to subtly hint at the hosts that you don’t really want to be there and they should just hurry up the entire process. Might as well eat everyone else’s sweets while you’re at it.

I’ve only been to one tea ceremony in Japan, but the sweet snack part was just about where things started to get confusing. We got little bean paste cakes or something along those lines and a toothpick. We saw some others using the toothpick device to cut up the sweet and eat very small bites that way so we all followed suit, despite it being very difficult. Later we were told that was a bit overkill, but nobody really told us how to go about doing things. Bottom line here is either have a Japanese person explain what to do beforehand or just follow what everyone else is doing and hope they know more than you do.

4. Guzzle that Tea Like There’s No Tomorrow

Finally. It’s tea time. The moment you’ve been waiting for. You’ve been sitting down for far too long and those sweets were too difficult to eat and not nearly filling enough for your baka gaijin belly. The time for tea has arrived. When it is your turn to drink the tea, you’ll want to be sure to not bow to anyone or thank them – again, you don’t have time for stuff like that.

You might see some other people doing wacky stuff like picking up the tea, putting it in the palm of their hand, rotating it, sipping the tea, and then wiping the brim before setting it down. That’s too much effort. The tea’s going to taste just the same regardless of what fancy maneuvers you do before drinking it, so why waste time? Just gulp it down as soon as you’re able.

The tea is usually pretty bitter (to balance the sweet sweets, you know – yin and yang and all that jazz) so if you don’t like the taste, make sure to twist your face into the most disgusted mug you can muster. This will let everyone know how you felt about the tea. If you’re lucky, after the ceremony they might even ask you to be a judge on the next episode of Iron Chef.

5. Stumble Out of the Room and Fall Over

Before we told you to sit down however you please. Maybe that’s not your style. Maybe you want to show everyone else how strong you are and how you can handle sitting in seiza for hours upon end and not have your legs atrophy beneath you. If you choose this route, you’ll want to make sure to get up as quickly as possible when the ceremony is over. This way you’ll be sure to come to a standing position well before you realize that one (or both) of your legs has fallen asleep without you realizing. Now you’ll be able to stumble about awkwardly, and perhaps take someone else down with you as you crash to the floor.

It’s not too often that I sit in seiza for a really long time, but I did at the tea ceremony I went to in Japan. I didn’t notice that one of my legs had fallen asleep, so when it was time to get up and go, I was a little wobbly. To avoid murdering everyone in the room, you’ll want to make sure all of your limbs are fully functional before arising from the mat. Otherwise, people will die. Just be careful about it and get yourself up slowly.

Mmm… Baka Gaijini-tea

At such a formal ceremony as this, it’s pretty easy to make a baka gaijin out of yourself. From not washing up prior to falling down and making a fool out of yourself post, there’s plenty of baka gaijin things to do at a Japanese tea ceremony. So, armed with this knowledge, you are now prepared to take on the wonderful world of Japanese tea. Show them what it means to be a true baka gaijin**

But in all seriousness, Japanese tea ceremonies are survivable and can be a very enjoyable experience. One thing I do recommend though, is definitely asking a Japanese person to actually show you how to do everything properly. I’ve even been to one before and I still forget some of the stuff you’re supposed to do. Luckily, the people putting on the show weren’t expecting much from us gaijin, so we didn’t embarrass ourselves too much.

And if you want to read more about Japanese tea ceremonies and such, please feel free to check out the links below.

Etiquette for Guests from JapaneseTeaCeremony.net
Japanese Tea Ceremony from ChinaTownConnection.com
How to Conduct a Japanese Tea Ceremony from eHow.com

So tell me, have you ever been to a Japanese tea ceremony before? What was it like? Did you see anyone messing up the procedures or making a fool of themselves? Share in the comments!

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**Please realize that this post is mostly satire and is supposed to be funny. I am aware that gaijin are not the only ones who perform the faux pas in this series of baka gaijin posts. They are just meant to draw attention to some mistakes people might make while in Japan in a humorous manner.
Hugs and kisses <3 J