{"id":5278,"date":"2025-10-16T17:09:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T08:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oh-mama.tokyo\/?p=5278"},"modified":"2025-10-20T15:48:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T06:48:50","slug":"questions-about-sado-the-tea-ceremony-why-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oh-mama.tokyo\/?p=5278","title":{"rendered":"Questions about Sado, the Tea Ceremony: Why \u201cDo\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the tea ceremony, the host prepares utensils in front of the guests, makes a bowl of matcha, and offers it for them to enjoy. In Japanese, this practice is called Sado<\/em>, Chanoyu<\/em>, or simply Ocha<\/em> \u2014 \u201ctea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first encountered tea ceremony, it was through my high school club, which was called the Sado<\/em> Club. My school had two other clubs whose names also included the character \u201cDo<\/em>\u201d (\u9053, the Way) \u2014 the Kado<\/em> Club (flower arranging) and the Kendo<\/em> Club (Japanese fencing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I see a name ending with \u201cDo<\/em>,\u201d I can\u2019t help but think, \u201cAh, that feels so Japanese.\u201d Around the time the word globalization became common in Japan, I was mostly looking outward toward foreign cultures. But I gradually realized how little I actually knew about my own. That realization \u2014 along with the temptation of delicious sweets and tea \u2014 led me to begin learning tea ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I looked up the word \u201cSado<\/em>\u201d in my trusted dictionary, Kojien<\/em>, it simply said: See \u201cChado.\u201d<\/em> So, although the word is written \u8336\u9053, the pronunciation \u201cChado<\/em>\u201d is the standard, not \u201cSado<\/em>.\u201d To think I\u2019ve been practicing tea ceremony for over a quarter of a century and only just discovered that \u2014 how surprising!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kojien<\/em>, Chado<\/em> is defined as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA path of strengthening oneself mentally and perfecting the manners of society through Chanoyu<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Looking up Chanoyu<\/em>, it says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo invite guests, prepare matcha, and offer them hospitality with meals and sake.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In other words, Chado<\/em> is the practice of cultivating the mind and mastering manners through the art of hosting a tea gathering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, the \u201cCha<\/em> (\u8336)\u201d represents the act of making and enjoying matcha, while the \u201cDo<\/em> (\u9053)\u201d signifies a spiritual path \u2014 polishing the mind and striving toward the cultivation of one\u2019s character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a report by Japan\u2019s Agency for Cultural Affairs (\u201cReport on the Study of Living Culture: Tea Ceremony,\u201d 2020), the term \u201cChado<\/em>,\u201d or \u201cSado<\/em>,\u201d came into use in the early Edo period to express \u201cChanoyu<\/em> as a means of spiritual training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, tea ceremony is not merely about visiting a teahouse, having a bowl of matcha, and saying, \u201cThat was delicious.\u201d<\/em>
It is a lifelong practice \u2014 a process of learning, refining, and cultivating the heart.
And that, I realized, is why it is called \u201cSado<\/em>\u201d \u2014 the Way of Tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong>
\u30fbAgency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.
\u201cReport on the Study of Living Culture: Tea Ceremony (2020).\u201d
https:\/\/www.bunka.go.jp\/tokei_hakusho_shuppan\/tokeichosa\/seikatsubunka_chosa\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n