Honestly, I had never actually counted before\u2026 so I tried it.
And depending on the school of tea, the number may vary. But when we host a tea ceremony at our salon, there are at least seven bows exchanged between the host and guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why so many?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because bowing is a greeting\u2014an acknowledgement of mutual respect.
If someone bows to you, you bow back.
Simple!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take a look at those seven key moments. (These apply when there is one guest.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) When sweets are served<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the tea ceremony, guests enjoy sweets before drinking matcha. The host silently bows: \u201cPlease enjoy.\u201d The guest silently bows: \u201cThank you, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n No words. Just hearts communicating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) At the start of tea-making (otemae<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before entering the tearoom, the host silently bows as if to say: \u201cMay I come in?\u201d The guest silently returns the bow with the meaning, \u201cPlease do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) After all utensils are brought in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A silent bow by the host that says: \u201cPlease relax.\u201d And a thankful bow by the guest in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Before drinking the tea<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first spoken phrase of the ceremony appears here: The guest says \u201cChoudai shimasu\u201d<\/em> (the polite version of “itadakimasu<\/em>“). The host responds with a silent bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5) When the guest invites the host to conclude<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After finishing the tea, the guest say, \u201cOshimai kudasai”<\/em>, meaning “Please conclude.\u201d The host silently bows in acknowledgement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6) When the host declares the moving on to the closing process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon after the bows in the previous moment, the host places the bowl down and says, \u201cOshimai ni itasimasu”<\/em>, meaning “I will conclude.\u201d The guest silently bows back with the gratitude, “thank you for the tea”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From here, the host puts the utensils away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7) Final bow after everything is cleared<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Restoring the tearoom to its clean, peaceful state is also part of the ceremony. A final silent bow marks the completion of the otemae<\/em> \u2014 and the guest answers with a silent bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026And actually, that\u2019s not all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are bows: If there are multiple guests, even more bows appear: Guests bow to one another when taking sweets or drinking matcha. It\u2019s like a friendly ripple effect of respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in a tea gathering, there is a principal guest (shokyaku<\/em>) who speaks and bows on behalf of everyone at certain times, such as saying “Oshimai kudasai”<\/em>. (This is where bow-counting gets really complicated!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n So\u2026 how many bows do we need?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The number doesn\u2019t matter. What matters is returning the respect you are given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When people exchange bows with sincere hearts, the atmosphere warms, the space feels harmonious, and somehow\u2026 the tea tastes even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t you think so?<\/p>\n\n\n
before formal greetings
after formal greetings
and MANY more depending on the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n