This is a question my husband asked me as I was writing another blog about the tea ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tea ceremony is written \u8336\u9053 (sado<\/em>) and it literally means “the way of tea”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people may be surprised to hear that sake<\/em> appears in the Japanese tea ceremony. However, in the most formal style of gathering, called a chaji<\/em>, sake<\/em> actually plays an important role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s a Chaji<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A chaji<\/em> is the highest and most formal form of tea gathering\u2014a full-course hospitality experience that lasts nearly four hours, created by the host for the guests. Dates are set in advance, invitations and replies are exchanged, and preparations begin long before the actual day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a traditional tea gathering, the guests have a specific hierarchy. The main guest is called shokyaku<\/em>, the \u201cprincipal guest,\u201d a custom that comes from the days when tea culture flourished among the samurai<\/em> and aristocratic classes. The shokyaku<\/em> was often a high-ranking lord; accompanying him were the second guest (jikyaku<\/em>) and the last guest (suekyaku<\/em>, often called otsume<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the day of the chaji<\/em>, guests gather in a waiting area, sip warm water, walk through a carefully tended garden, purify their hands with water, and finally enter the tea room. They view the hanging scroll, the hearth, and the utensils, exchange greetings with the host, and watch as the host adds charcoal and incense to the hearth\u2014filling the room with a delicate fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, the meal begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kaiseki<\/em> Meal\u2014and the Appearance of Sake<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaiseki<\/em> originally meant \u201ca warm stone carried in the pocket to ease the hunger of Zen monks.\u201d Today, however, it resembles a refined Japanese full-course meal with sashimi<\/em>, rice, soup, a main dish and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the first tray of rice, soup, and sashimi<\/em> is served and lightly enjoyed, the host brings out the sake<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes\u2014this is where the \u201cWay of Tea\u201d quietly includes a \u201cWay of Sak<\/em>e.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The host offers sake<\/em> to the principal guest first, using a set of small, stacked ceremonial cups. The principal guest bows to the second guest meaning \u201cPlease allow me to go first,\u201d then receives the host\u2019s pour. The second guest and the last guest follow in order, with precise etiquette guiding every movement\u2014from how the cup is held and placed to how the food is positioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is only the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chidori<\/em> : Zigzag Pouring of Sake<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After the meal\u2014simmered dishes, rice, miso<\/em> soup, grilled dishes, and clear soup along with sake<\/em>\u2014another round of sake<\/em> appears with some delicacies. First, the host pours sake<\/em> for the guests, and offers each one a piece of treats. Principal Guest \u2192 Host \u2192 Second Guest \u2192 Host \u2192 Last Guest \u2192 Host\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditionally, everyone uses the principal guest\u2019s cup, wiping it with paper each time (modern gatherings may use individual cups for hygiene). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each person knows exactly what to do\u2014when to pour, how to receive, what to serve, and even whom to speak to. Nothing is random; everything is choreography, forming the overall movements of the tea room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes this ritual even more complicated is hassun<\/em>\u2014a plate of delicacies from the sea and the mountains. For example, while the second guest is pouring sake<\/em> for the host, the principal guest offers the host a piece of food. As the host finishes drinking, the second guest requests another pour. Not only the host, but the guests also pour sake<\/em> and serve food. When alcohol is involved, it can seem even more complicated, can’t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sequence is ceremonial, and\u2014according to one of my tea school seniors who loved sake<\/em>\u2014\u201cthe most fun part of the whole chaji <\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the Tea Gathering Continues\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after the sake<\/em> portion ends, the chaji<\/em> still has much to offer: hot water, pickles, sweets, a short intermission, followed by strong matcha (koicha<\/em>) and weak matcha (usucha<\/em>) with some more sweets. Only then do the final greetings bring the gathering to a close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A chaji<\/em> can last nearly four hours, but it unfolds with a graceful rhythm formed by both host and guests who understand their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Career in Sado<\/em>, the Tea Ceremony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My tea teacher once said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn sado<\/em>, it\u2019s not how many years you study, but how many chaji<\/em> you have hosted yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Hosting a chaji<\/em> is considered the true measure of one\u2019s maturity in tea practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the Cost\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n People often wonder about the expense of such a gathering. About 20 years ago, when I joined my teacher and a senior as guests at a chaji<\/em>, I paid an amount similar to a typical wedding gift in Japan. Today, with rising prices, the cost may be 1.5 times higher. In Closing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tea ceremony involves far more than drinking tea. It encompasses hospitality, cuisine, etiquette, incense, seasonal aesthetics\u2014and yes, even a refined tradition of how to offer, pour, and enjoy sake<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you\u2019ve ever wondered, \u201cIf there\u2019s a Way of Tea, shouldn\u2019t there be a Way of Sake<\/em>?\u201d\u2014
Then, one of the most interesting parts begins: chidori<\/em>, a zigzag pattern of pouring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
(Back then, I suspect my teacher and the senior quietly covered a good portion of the total for me\u2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
now you know: it already exists, quietly embedded within the heart of tea ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n