Questions about Sado, the Tea Ceremony: Is There Such a Thing as a “Good” Tea Ceremony?
I believe there is such a thing as a skillful tea ceremony.
In Japanese tea culture, o-temae refers to the series of movements a host performs when preparing matcha for a guest.
To me, a truly skillful o-temae is when the host’s movements flow naturally, the utensils are handled with care at the right moments, the timing feels perfectly attuned to the guests, and the hands move softly and elegantly. The host’s posture appears calm yet dignified—and most importantly, the matcha they make is absolutely delicious.
Memories of My Teacher
When I picture a “good” o-temae, I can’t help but think of my tea teacher, who began teaching me when I was in high school.
She truly loved tea. She would travel almost an hour each way to Nihonbashi or Ginza just to find the perfect seasonal sweets, and she would tell us about the meanings and wishes behind each one. When her students served her tea with sincerity, she would drink it with a heartfelt, “Ah, it’s hot and delicious!” Her words always warmed my heart.
Sado, the tea ceremony has no end to what one can learn—it’s not only about whisking matcha, but also about cleaning, cooking, and caring for every detail. I still remember one hot summer day when we washed the ashes that had accumulated over the winter. It was surprisingly heavy work, even for me at twenty! My teacher was already around seventy, yet her energy amazed me. She was gentle, sometimes strict, but always dignified and inspiring—a truly cool grandmother figure.
The Film 「日日是好日」 and Its Familiar Teacher
More than ten years after she passed away, a friend told me this year about a 2018 film called 「日日是好日」(Every Day a Good Day).
I immediately read the original book, 『日日是好日 「お茶」が教えてくれた15の幸せ』 (Every Day a Good Day: Fifteen Lessons I Learned About Happiness from Tea). To my astonishment, the tea teacher in the story was just like mine—the same calm presence, she also wore elegant kimono in soft, pale colors, just like my teacher always did, even the same habit of picking flowers from the yard for the tea room. Many of the teacher’s lines were identical to things my own teacher used to say.
It made me realize once again how fortunate I was to have learned from such a wonderful teacher.
A Beautiful O-Temae, on Screen and in Memory
Although I haven’t yet watched the film, I also read『茶の湯の冒険 「日日是好日」から広がるしあわせ』(The Adventures of Tea: The Happiness that Spreads from “Every Day a Good Day”), a behind-the-scenes book about the movie.
It mentioned that the actress who played the teacher performed her o-temae so beautifully that even real tea masters were impressed. I imagine it must have been just like my teacher’s—a truly skillful o-temae.
If you’d like to see a graceful tea ceremony yourself, I highly recommend watching the film.
Experience Sado Yourself
And if you’d like to experience the spirit of Sado, the tea ceremony in person, we invite you to our tea room—a small traditional Japanese house just four minutes by train from Shibuya, in Ikenoue.
